2022 US Open: When is it? Who is competing? Where is it held? And who will win?

The 2022 US Open - the fourth and final tennis major on the calendar - is back later this month, one year after Emma Raducanu spectacularly won the tournament as a qualifier. 

Raducanu will return to Flushing Meadows alongside Daniil Medvedev, who is expected to defend his men’s singles title after being barred from Wimbledon following his home country Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, as at the Australian Open earlier this year, the US Open will likely be missing a major star in the form of Novak Djokovic, who could be absent due to his lack of Covid-19 vaccinations as a foreign national. 

The 2022 US Open will be the 142nd edition of the tournament, which was founded in 1881. It has been a hard court tournament since 1978, having previously been played on grass for close to 100 years. It was also briefly played on clay from 1975-77.

When does the US Open 2022 start?

The main draw for the US Open will begin on Monday, August 29 with first round matches set to take place over the course of two days. The tournament is scheduled to run for two weeks and will conclude with the men’s singles final on Sunday, September 11.

Play begins at 4pm BST on the outside courts each day, with matches on the show courts beginning at 5pm BST. The US Open will also have matches on show courts played in a night session, which will begin at midnight BST.

US Open main draw schedule:

• August 29-30: Men’s and women’s first round 
• August 31-September 1: Men’s and women’s second round 
• September 2-3: Men’s and women’s third round 
• September 4-5: Men’s and women’s fourth round
• September 6-7: Men’s and women’s quarter-finals
• September 8: Women’s semi-finals
• September 9: Men’s semi-finals, men’s doubles final
• September 10: Women’s final, mixed doubles final
• September 11: Men’s final, women’s doubles final

Who is playing at the 2022 US Open?

The US Open men’s singles tournament will be headed up by Rafael Nadal, who won the Australian Open and the French Open earlier this year. Daniil Medvedev is also present on the main draw entry list, which boasts all of the leading 45 players on the ATP ranking at the time of its publishing, including Novak Djokovic.

Other previous winners who will take part in 2022 include Stan Wawrinka, who plays thanks to a protected ranking, and Marin Čilić.

British tennis fans will be undoubtedly excited to see Andy Murray return to the site of his first grand-slam triumph, the 2012 US Open. Meanwhile, in the women’s singles draw, Emma Raducanu is the defending champion having gone all the way in a fairytale run last year.

Another headline name in the women’s draw is Serena Williams, who recently won her first singles match for more than a year. She is fresh after a long injury-forced layoff and has announced that this will be her final tournament before retiring.

World Number 1 Iga Swiatek will be the player to beat on the women’s side, while Elena Rybakina will be hoping to emulate her surprise success at Wimbledon.

Russian and Belarusian players are allowed to compete at the 2022 US Open, after being disqualified by Wimbledon due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. This means that the likes of Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Daria Kasatkina and Aryna Sabalenka are free to play.

Is Novak Djokovic playing at the US Open?

It is not confirmed that Djokovic will be absent from the tournament, and indeed his name is on the entry list. However, the Serbian’s non-vaccinated status runs against US foreign policy and means that he is unlikely to be granted access to the country.

The USTA has stated that they will follow government guidance over the issue, so it appears that Djokovic will ultimately miss out, just as he did at the Australian Open earlier this year. A late u-turn in policy is, however, possible.

Who is not playing at the US Open?

Roger Federer will not play at the US Open because of his ongoing battle with injury. He is a five-time winner of the tournament – a tally that no one has surpassed during the Open Era. All of the major players in the men’s game are otherwise planning to be present. 

Ashleigh Barty is the main name missing from the women’s singles draw. After winning the 2022 Australian Open, she announced a shock retirement from the sport.

What is the US Open?

The US Open is traditionally the fourth and final of the tennis majors in the season. It was founded in 1881 and is played at Flushing Meadows, New York, USA.

It is a hard-court tournament and is the second major of the year to be played on that surface after the Australian Open, which is held in January. 

The US Open is noted for the Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is the biggest tennis stadium in the world thanks to a capacity of 23,771. Its crowds are known for being vocal and excitable, giving it a unique tennis atmosphere.

The competition starts on the final weekend of August and continues over two weeks, with the men’s and women’s draws both containing 128 players.

Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors jointly hold the record for men’s singles titles in the Open Era, having won the tournament on five occasions, while Serena Williams and Chris Evert have six women’s singles titles each.

Who are the favourites to win the US Open?

Novak Djokovic is available at 2.54 to win the US Open, though the likelihood is that he becomes a non-runner unless he is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to allow him into the USA.

Beyond him, there are a string of players who appear evenly matched. Medvedev is priced at 3.25 to defend his title, while Carlos Alcaraz is 6.2 to claim his first major. Meanwhile, Nadal is priced at 7 to win the tournament for a record-equalling fifth time. The in-form Jannik Sinner can be backed at 15.5.

Iga Swiatek is the favourite to win the Women’s Singles at 3.55, followed by two-time champion Naomi Osaka at 7.8. Up-and-coming star Coco Gauff is third favourite at 12, but the draw is wide open behind her.

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