The final Grand Slam of the tennis season is here.
The US Open will see the top stars from the ATP and WTA tours battle it out for glory in New York from August 26 to September 8.
Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff are set to return to Flushing Meadows to defend their titles, but who else will be playing, and who will be missing the tournament?
Djokovic needs one more Grand Slam title to break a tie with Margaret Court for the most in history.
His best run in New York was making the quarter-finals in 2022.
There will be no Rafael Nadal at the US Open.
The four-time champion was on the entry list but pulled out following the Olympics.
“I have decided not to compete at this year’s US Open a place where I have amazing memories,” said Nadal, whose next tournament is set to be the Laver Cup in late September.
Andy Murray will not be returning to the scene of his first Grand Slam triumph in 2012.
Former world No. 1 Murray retired from tennis after the Olympics and now, according to his X profile, plays golf rather than tennis.
When will Nick Kyrgios return to the tennis court? That’s a question that has been unanswered for the last year.
That could be the start of his comeback, but he is not set to play the US Open.
It was four years ago that Dominic Thiem won the only Grand Slam title of his career at the US Open.
Thiem, whose form has fallen off in the last few years and hasn’t managed back-to-back wins this season, has received a wildcard for the US Open.
Another former US Open winner will be back in New York.
Stan Wawrinka is no longer ranked high enough to get direct entry, but like Thiem he has got a wildcard.
The 39-year-old beat Djokovic to win the US Open in 2016.
World no. 1 Iga Swiatek will lead the women’s field at the US Open.
Swiatek won the US Open in 2022 but was beaten in the fourth round last year.
Coco Gauff capped off a dream summer last year by winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Can she repeat? The 20-year-old has not had the best results so far this month, winning just one match across the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open.
She will be hoping for a return to top form in New York.
But the British no. 2 has not competed since, not entering Canadian Open qualifying and then also missing out at the Cincinnati Open.
Her ranking is high enough to secure her direct entry into the US Open, where she was a shock winner in 2021.
Former world no. 1 Osaka, who returned to the tour this season after giving birth, added she will “promise myself to work as hard as I can and give it my best shot”.
She will play the US Open either after being given a wildcard.
Former runner-up Ons Jabeur is a doubt to play the US Open.
The 29-year-old has been struggling with a recurring knee injury this season and missed Washington and Cincinnati because of a shoulder issue, either side of losing to Naomi Osaka in the first round in Toronto.
“Despite my best efforts to recover in time, playing in Toronto did not help, my current condition does not allow me to compete at the level required,” said Jabeur on social media.
With retirement planned at the end of the season, Danielle Collins was hoping for a farewell run at her home Grand Slam.
But after suffering heat stroke at the Paris Olympics she was then ruled out the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open due to injury.
She will be hoping to recover in time to play in New York.
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