It’s time again for the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the tennis year. 2023 singles winners Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic both return at full strength to defend their titles. Will Djokovic crush the competition again to win his breathtaking 25th major? Will Coco Gauff be able to fend off a fiery pack of women? Read on for a preview of the 2024 US Open.
Notable absences
Rafael Nadal is not capable of giving 100%: Spain’s biggest tennis star withdrew from the US Open in early August, saying only that he would not be able to give his all in the tournament. He has yet to make a decision regarding retirement, but that is the inevitable destination as Nadal navigates these final stages of his professional tennis journey.
Andy Murray retired: The beloved player, who never gave up despite injury after injury, retired after a wonderful run at the Paris Olympics with doubles partner Jack Draper. This is the first major tournament without him, and it’s honestly quite weird. His presence was always a symbol that there were tennis stars outside of the Big Three, and it became impossible to root against him in the second half of his career as he battled injuries. We miss you, Andy.
Key scenarios
Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz: These two began to build a very entertaining rivalry. They have faced each other in several finals in recent years, most recently in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics. Djokovic was able to win his first ever Olympic gold medal, the only honor that had eluded him all along of his career, while Alcaraz, who was competing in his first Olympics, just didn’t have it that day.
When these two come together on the field, you can expect everything from magic to fireworks to a frown from Alcaraz. Even though we’ve seen them face off before, this is the match everyone wants to see: the GOAT versus the Phenom.
Consequences of Jannik Sinner’s positive tests: The news of Sinner’s two positive Clostebol tests was quite shocking, as was the determination that he was not responsible for ingesting the banned substance. Several players said they didn’t think it was fair that Sinner wasn’t suspended or banned. It will be interesting to see if players talk about this during the tournament and if it ends up affecting Sinner’s play.
Will Coco Gauff be able to defend her title? Gauff won her first ever Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, and she has continued to improve across the board since then. She reached the semi-finals for the first time at the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year, but that progress was strangely stunted by her lackluster performance at the Olympics. Gauff, 20, who is about to play in her seventh U.S. Open, doesn’t need redemption, but if she wants it, she’ll find it at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center.
This could be another wide-open women’s tournament: If Gauff’s problems in Paris followed her to Queens, we could see another champion for the first time. But in the same position is Iga Swiatek, the longtime WTA No. 1, who also fell early at the Olympics on her favorite surface. And Swiatek also won a US Open trophy before. The only thing consistent about Swiatek, Gauff and the other top-ranked women is their lack of consistency, so it really feels like anyone wins the trophy.
Top 10 men’s seeds
1. Jannik Sinner (Italy)
2. Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
3. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
4. Alexander Zverev (Germany)
5. Daniel Medvedev (Russia)
6. Andrey Rublev (Russia)
7. Hubert Hurkacz (Poland)
8. Casper Ruud (Norway)
9. Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
10. Alex de Minaur (Australia)
There are no Americans in the top 10, but there are five just outside. Taylor Fritz is seeded 12th, Ben Shelton is 13, Tommy Paul is 14, Sebastian Korda is 16 and Frances Tiafoe is 20.
Who to watch in the men’s draw
Jannik Sinner: Not only will Sinner be under the microscope from the media and his fellow players after his positive drug tests, but he comes into this tournament with an injury. He has suffered from hip problems since the clay court season and was forced to withdraw from the Olympics. While he’s more rested than other Olympic competitors (Alcaraz, Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev all played in Paris), it doesn’t make sense if his hip is impacting his game.
Taylor Fritz: After an excellent performance at the Paris Olympics, it looks like Fritz is on the rise. He briefly broke into the ATP top 10 in January, but has since remained at No. 12 and is the highest-ranked American on the ATP. If he wants to take the step to become a strong contender, this is when he should do it. But now is definitely the time, as fellow American Ben Shelton is right on his heels in 12th place and is getting better and better with each tournament.
Top 10 women
1. Swiatek ribs (Poland)
2. Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
3. Coco Gauff (United States)
4. Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
5. Jasmin Paolini (Italy)
6. Jessica Pegula (United States)
7. Qinwen Zheng (China)
8. Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic)
9. Maria Sakkari (Greece)
10. Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia)
In addition to Gauff and Pegula in the top 10, three Americans are seeded between 11 and 15: Danielle Collins (11), Emma Navarro (13) and Madison Keys (14).
Who to watch in the women’s draw
Danielle Collins: After announcing his intention to retire at the end of the 2024 season, Collins was reduced to tears. The US Open will be her last Grand Slam ever, and it will be worth it to see the 30-year-old American play her heart out one last time on the big stage.
Iga Swiatek: These last few months have been difficult for Iga. She withdrew early at the Olympics, then again recently at the Cincinnati Open. She’s always managed to avoid losing streaks, stopping them before they become too overwhelming, but she’ll need to get her confidence back if she wants to dominate the competition like everyone knows she can.
