US Open Overview: Serena Williams’ last Grand Slam appearance on home soil makes great headlines for two weeks of tennis

Even if she couldn’t achieve a thriving final dream by lifting the title at Flushing Meadows, Williams’ 23 Grand Slam titles would go down as the most open-era player and just one shy of Margaret Court’s all-time record.

Williams’ greatness isn’t just limited to the singles court, as he has won every Grand Slam title at least twice and won two out of four titles in mixed doubles. She has also made more than $94 million from her career earnings in court.

Few tennis players have transcended the sport as Williams, and there’s no doubt her presence will miss the tour.

However, it was one of Raducanu’s 12 wins in a season in which injuries and a patchy performance struggled. However, it has shown flashes of the player victorious at Flushing Meadows last year, most notably in the recent demolition of Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati.

Two thousand of the 2,756 ranking points that Raducanu currently has 11th in the world – and even 10th in June – came from her US Open victory, and failure to come close to defending her 19-year-old title would see her slide down the union rankings. professional tennis players.

Raducanu’s race in Cincinnati was finished by world number eight Jessica Pegula, but it was a tight contest to end a week likely to give Raducanu increased confidence to enter the US Open.

Among the stars hoping to win the Radocano title in New York is Poland’s world number one Iga Swiatek, who won six singles titles in 2022.

The two-time French Open winner goes to the tournament as a bookie’s favorite, but he only made it to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows and struggled to get his level up on the hardcourt in the run-up to the US Open.

However, Swiatek reached the Australian Open semifinals at the start of the year and won three consecutive WTA 1000 events on hard courts earlier in the season, so there’s no doubt she has the potential to go to New York.

Rafael Nadal aims for 23

In the men’s draw, all eyes will be on Rafael Nadal as he looks to add 22 Grand Slam titles to his men’s record.

“The main thing for me is to stay healthy,” Nadal told reporters after the defeat. “Honestly, it was difficult to manage.

“The last month and a half hasn’t been easy, because, having had a tummy rupture, you don’t know when (it’ll be) more than 100 per cent, so it affects me a little bit in terms of not (being) sure if you’ll be able to do your best in every send”.

But New York has been a happy hunting ground for Nadal over the years, with the Spaniard winning the title on four occasions, most recently in 2019 when he played an epic five-set match against Daniil Medvedev.

Russia’s Medvedev, who has competed under a neutral flag since his country invaded Ukraine, is a favorite among bookmakers to lift the trophy and retain the title he won in 2021 marking his first Grand Slam win.

The 26-year-old’s title in 2022 came on solid ground in Mexico earlier this month, but Medvedev reached the Australian Open final at the start of the year, losing agonizingly after taking a two-set lead over Nadal.

Alexander Zverev, who was among the favorites to win, confirmed earlier this week that he will withdraw from the US Open after failing to recover from an injury in time.

The world number two underwent surgery again in June for a torn ankle ligament, which he suffered after falling embarrassingly in the French Open semi-final against Nadal.

Zverev’s absence from the draw raises all of those players ranked lower than him a place in the rankings, meaning that only Nadal and Medvedev can now face each other in the final.

Novak Djokovic confirmed Thursday that he will not compete at Flushing Meadows in 2022. U.S. vaccination rules for non-US citizens mean the Serb will not receive a visa to enter the country, so at least one Nol will have to wait more than a year before returning to the Big Apple.

The world No. 6 trounced at Wimbledon earlier this year to win his 21st Grand Slam title and move on to long-time rival Nadal, but was unable to play in any of the U.S. Open chord events for the U.S. Tour or Canada. .

It will be the second US Open of the year’s Grand Slam that Djokovic has missed due to his vulnerable status, having had his visa revoked twice ahead of the Australian Open in January.

“Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll stay in good shape and in a positive spirit and look forward to an opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world!”

With space wide open, the men’s draw will be great to watch – will Nadal equalize Serena with 23 singles titles at the Grand Slam or will another team rise to rule in New York?