US Open: The stars align in New York

Since returning from an injury-induced five-month hiatus, Carlos Alcaraz has incited a collective swooning over his hair. A bold typeface headline in GQ proclaims, “This is the coolest Carlos Alcaraz has ever looked”, waxing lyrical about how he’s now “armed with flowing locks.” Alcaraz hasn’t hit yet the singles court, but his pairing with the legendary Serena Williams in the mixed doubles event preceding the US Open captivated the sporting world. They won a match and lost the next, but the results mattered little.

Because the man fans fondly called “Carlitos”, just 23 years old and already owner of seven major titles title, is back playing the sport that has desperately felt his absence. While the admirable efficiency of Jannik Sinner, the relentless valour of Novak Djokovic and the ferocious breakthrough of Alexander Zverev have provided compelling storylines, tennis has been devoid of the joie de vivre that only the precocious Spaniard brings. Alcaraz, undoubtedly, has missed tennis all these months, but let there be no doubt – tennis has missed him as much, if not more.

Now, Alcaraz returns to the US Open, where he won his first slam in 2022 at age 19, and sizzled through the field for his second title last year, as the second seed behind Zverev. With his fiercest modern day rival Sinner missing through injury, the spotlight will shine even brighter on Alcaraz.


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In the mixed doubles hit out, Alcaraz didn’t quite produce the spark that underlined his pre-injury dominance, with some observers describing him as “rusty”. Perhaps, he doesn’t quite trust his wrist entirely yet and perhaps, all he needs is those proverbial “miles in the legs” over the first few rounds to reignite the warrior within.

“A lot of the time he pulls shots out of nowhere,” former US Open champion Andy Roddick said on his podcast. “For him to play this, I have to think the risk of further injury is next to nothing. It seems like he’s happy to accept that ‘hey, listen, maybe my legs will be tired. Maybe I haven’t played any match reps. I might lose first or second round, but I’m going to go’. This is such a win for tennis.”

While Alcaraz will look to find his groove, others will sense their opportunity in his frailty, and Sinner’s absence. Zverev, who has leapfrogged Alcaraz to second in the rankings, is primed to extend the purple patch that saw him clinch a first ever major at the French Open and reach the Wimbledon final. Results in hard court tune-ups have been underwhelming for the German, and he hasn’t been past the fourth round in his last five outings in New York after making the final in 2020, but Zverev has all the tools to make another deep run.

However, the conversation that will attract most chatter after Alcaraz, will be Novak Djokovic’s resumption of the pursuit for a 25th major title. The four-time winner, seeded fourth, has played a mere 20 matches all year and was packed off in his only tune-up event at Cincinnati by unheralded Argentine Thiago Tirante. Yet, come slam time, Djokovic transforms into a credible threat, hell bent on extracting every ounce of tennis from his 39-year-old self.

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“I have very high regard for Novak, I’ve seen what he can do, not just once, not just here, but every place — at the highest level,” gushed his one-time great rival, Roger Federer. “As long as he’s in the draw, there’s a chance and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s still playing because he must believe he can do it, that’s my opinion.”

There are others of course knocking eagerly on the door for slam success, with the likes of Felix Auger Aliassime, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Flavio Cobolli and Frances Tiafoe in the mix. Who walks away with the biggest bite from the Big Apple this year will unfold over two weeks of high-octane action.