Carlos Alcaraz Returns to Defend Title at US Open
Carlos Alcaraz will walk back into Arthur Ashe Stadium with a title to defend and a wrist still under scrutiny. The champion of New York returns not with a gentle warm-up, but with a searching first test against Russia’s Roman Safiullin – his first meaningful look at singles competition in more than four months.
The Spaniard has been parked on the sidelines since spring, his right wrist inflamed, his season stalled. No surgery, but no rhythm either. The lay-off cost him Roland Garros and Wimbledon, two Grand Slams ripped out of a calendar that was supposed to confirm his status as the sport’s next dominant force.
He has dipped a toe back into the water, teaming up with Serena Williams in mixed doubles earlier this week, a crowd-pleasing cameo rather than a full examination. Now comes the real question: can that wrist stand up to best-of-five in the New York heat, with a target on his back and a draw that offers no time to settle?
Alcaraz arrives as the second seed, still protected by his ranking, still treated as a man to beat. Above him sits Alexander Zverev, the new world number one at Flushing Meadows after Jannik Sinner pulled out with a knee injury. Zverev opens against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, chasing a second major after finally lifting the cloud of missed chances with his breakthrough title at Roland Garros in June.
Djokovic’s last big chase
On the other side of the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic begins yet another run at history. The 39-year-old Serb starts against Argentina’s Mariano Navone in what is billed as the latest chapter in his pursuit of a standalone 25th Grand Slam singles title.
The first round should be manageable. The second could be anything but.
Waiting there will be either Matteo Berrettini – the Italian whom Djokovic subdued in the 2021 Wimbledon final – or Stan Wawrinka, a three-time major champion stepping into his final Grand Slam after receiving a late wildcard. One last swing for the Swiss, one more dangerous floater in a draw that offers Djokovic both opportunity and threat in equal measure.
British hopes ride on Fery
For Britain, the spotlight falls on a new, slightly unexpected figure. Arthur Fery, the surprise Wimbledon semi-finalist, returns to the Grand Slam stage with a first-round assignment that underlines his new status and his new reality: Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti.
Fery, 24, transformed his career at the All England Club in July. That run vaulted him into the world’s top 40 for the first time and punched his ticket to New York. It almost carried him into the seedings too. Almost. Instead, the world number 37 has been thrown straight into a bruising opener against a man who reached the US Open quarter-finals last year.
It is a harsh reward, but a clear barometer. A lot of eyes will be on how Fery handles the noise, the pace and the expectation in a city that does not do quiet build-ups.
He leads a thin British contingent. Jack Draper, a semi-finalist here in 2024, has been forced out by a long-term arm injury. Emma Raducanu, the 2021 champion who lit up this tournament as a teenager, remains absent with the shin fracture that also ruled her out of Wimbledon.
Cameron Norrie, Britain’s men’s number one, just sneaked into the seedings at 29 and opens against France’s Luca van Assche. Jan Choinski, who broke into the top 100 for the first time in June at the age of 30, stands as the only other British man in the main draw.
Sabalenka under pressure at the top
In the women’s event, Aryna Sabalenka starts her defence with a meeting against Colombia’s Camila Osorio. On paper, it’s a controlled entry into the tournament. In reality, Sabalenka knows the ground beneath her is shifting.
She arrives having sat on top of the WTA rankings for 97 weeks, an era of consistency in a tour that often eats its own champions. But Elena Rybakina is closing in. The reigning Australian Open champion has been drawn against American teenage wildcard Thea Frodin, a match that should let her ease into the fortnight while keeping the pressure squarely on Sabalenka’s shoulders.
If Sabalenka stutters, the rankings conversation reignites. If she strides through the first week, the women’s draw will again bend around her raw power and uncompromising baseline game.
Venus Williams, still swinging
And then there is Venus.
At 46, with 10 defeats from 10 matches this season, Venus Williams has been granted another wildcard and another chance to walk into a major as a competitor, not a guest of honour. She faces Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, in the first round.
The numbers say this is a farewell tour without the wins. The name on the scoreboard says something else entirely. New York has long memories, and Venus will not be treated as a footnote, however the match plays out.
So the stage is set. A defending men’s champion returning on a repaired wrist, a legend chasing a 25th major, a new British standard-bearer stepping into the glare, a world number one trying to hold off the charge behind her, and an icon refusing to slip quietly away.
In two weeks’ time, who will still be standing in the New York night?
