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Roger Federer took the US Open by storm in his return to the tournament, seven years after he last played the New York event.

Much like his appearance at the Australian Open earlier this year, Federer played a practice session as well as an exhibition mach at the Grand Slam.

Federer played alongside Lorenzo Musetti, before defeating Andy Roddick in a practice set, and playing a doubles match with John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, and Roddick.

Much has been made of Federer’s level at the tournament, as he returned to the Grand Slam he won five years in a row between 2004 and 2008, and Mats Wilander has now suggested he could be competitive if he played the US Open this year..

In an interview with Eurosport ahead of the US Open, the seven-time Grand Slam champion discussed Federer’s return to the US Open in its ‘Opening Week’.

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“It was quite slow. I think Federer was maybe playing in second or third gear, and he could play in five gears,” said Wilander about his performance against Roddick on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

However, Wilander believes Federer showed enough to suggest he could still be competitive if he joined the main draw of the US Open this year.

“Roger Federer could still win a match at the US Open, maybe even two. But he would have trouble recovering from the matches. That’s the thing when you’re 45 years old, you can’t recover as well anymore. As far as his game is concerned, I say: He could win a match at the US Open. He’s still that good.”

Federer, of course, will not be playing the US Open when it kicks off and he has already confirmed that he will not be returning to the sport in a full-time capacity.

His next port of call is to head to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, for his induction in the esteemed tennis wing.

The Swiss star was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the first year he was eligible and he is set to enter at the same time at WTA icon Mary Carillo.

The induction is set to take place between the 27th and 29th August, with Federer also set to return to the hallowed grass courts in Rhode Island.

It will mark Federer’s first grass court match since he was beaten by Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter finals of Wimbledon back in 2021. The star had a momumental run on the grass, winning Wimbledon an incredible eight times in his glittering career.

The post Mats Wilander says which round Roger Federer would get to at the US Open if he played this year appeared first on Tennis365.

The draw for the US Open women’s singles has been made and it has thrown up some enticing talking points ahead of a tournament that kick-offs this Sunday.

With recent WTA Tour tournaments serving up a series of unexpected storylines in recent weeks, this is being hailed as the most wide-open US Open women’s event in years and the uncertainty over the potential winner has been heightened by the draw.

Top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has been in poor form since winning the ‘Sunshine Double’ of WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami in March, with her slump opening the door for the chasing pack to put her under pressure.

Here is your Tennis365 guide to the big talking points around the top names in the women’s game:

Aryna Sabalenka

The world No 1 has looked horribly out of sorts and has struggled to contain her emotions on court as she has slumped to some shock defeats over the last few weeks.

Sara Bejlek (Cincinnati), Ekaterina Alexandrova (Canadian Open), Naomi Osaka (Wimbledon), Diana Shnaider (French Open) and Sorana Cirstea (Rome) have all beaten Sabalenka in a run that has seen her status at the top of the women’s game eroded.

There is a good chance she will lose the No 1 ranking at the US Open and that will be confirmed if she crashes out early.

Her opening match against world No 58 Camila Osorio should give her a chance to get off to a winning start, but she could face two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova in round three and Shnaider may be an opponent in the last-16.

Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova may lie in wait in the quarter-finals, with Jessica Pegula also in her half.

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Alex Eala

The Filipina star will have plenty of eyes on her as she looks to better her performance of reaching the second round at the US Open a year ago.

Eala will open up with a match against a qualifier before a possible second round clash against Oleksandra Oliynykova from Ukraine.

A third-round matchup against America’s Iva Jovic would see two of the brightest stars in women’s tennis clashing and Eala could then face a showdown with Coco Gauff in the fourth round.

Eala fans hoping she will go all the way to US Open glory may have to accept this may not be the year for that as she may have to beat Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka to lift the title.

Iga Swiatek

The Polish star has bounced back into form in recent weeks with a big win at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto and some good wins as she reached the semi-finals in Toronto.

Now Swiatek will be eyeing up a second US Open title and she will open up against in-form Chinese player Wang Xiyu, who enjoyed a strong run at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month.

Peyton Stearns or Marie Bouzkova could be waiting for Swiatek in round three and then she could step up in class of opponent as Madison Keys or Belinda Bencic could be a last-16 opponent, with Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina potential quarter-final rivals.

She is in the opposite half of the draw to Aryna Sabalenka, but could meet Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.

Coco Gauff

The bottom half of the draw is stacked with contenders, and Gauff could have some tricky tests early on.

Paula Badosa could be lined up against her in the second round if she is fit enough to compete, with Sara Bejlek on course to meet Gauff in round three after their Cincinnati Open semi-final clash earlier this month.

A match against Eala in round four would be a blockbuster event in New York, with Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva possible last eight rivals.

Swiatek could be a semi-final rival, with Sabalenka in the top half of the draw and a potential opponent if she reaches the final.

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Last eight match-ups on seedings:

Sabalenka (1) vs Noskova (6)
Pegula (3) vs Muchova (7)
Andreeva (5) vs Gauff (4)
Rybakina (2) vs Swiatek (8)

READ NEXT: Alex Eala: What WTA ranking can the Filipina star reach if she shines at the US Open?

The post US Open draw: Alex Eala learns her fate as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are set to face tough tests appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic face tricky first-round matches at the 2026 US Open, with the two all-time greats falling on the same side of the draw.

Alcaraz has not played a competitive singles match since suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in mid-April but will return to action at Flushing Meadows as he attempts to defend his title.

As world No 1 Jannik Sinner has pulled out of the tournament with a knee injury, French Open Alexander Zverev is the top seed, and second seed Alcaraz is on the other side of the draw.

Felix Auger-Aliassime is seeded third and sits in Zverev’s half of the draw, while 24-time major winner Djokovic could face Alcaraz in the semi-finals for the second straight year.

Before that possibility, though, Zverev opens against the tricky Lorenzo Sonego, Auger-Aliassime takes on Rinky Hijikata, Djokovic is up against former world No 29 Mariano Navone, who sits 49th in the rankings at the time of writing, whereas Alcaraz begins with the dangerous Roman Safiullin – who has a 1-1 head-to-head with the 23-year-old.

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Some other eye-catching first-round ties include the soon-to-be retired Stan Wawrinka against Matteo Berrettini, with the winner potentially facing Djokovic in round two.

Moreover, former US Open champion Marin Cilic opens against 23rd seed Andrey Rublev, Cincinnati winner Arthur Fils takes on two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, and rising star Rafael Jodar will lock horns with Thanasi Kokkinakis first up.

Novak Djokovic’s possible road to the final

Round one: Mariano Navone
Round two: Stan Wawrinka (WC)
Round three: Tomas Martin Etcheverry (27)
Round four: Brandon Nakashima (16)
Quarter-final: Daniil Medvedev (7)
Semi-final: Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Final: Alexander Zverev (1)

Carlos Alcaraz’s possible road to the final

Round one: Roman Safiullin
Round two: Jenson Brooksby
Round three: Matteo Arnaldi (30)
Round four: Alexander Bublik (15)
Quarter-final: Arthur Fils (10)
Semi-final: Novak Djokovic (4)
Final: Alexander Zverev (1)

Alexander Zverev’s possible road to the final

Round one: Lorenzo Sonego
Round two: Quentin Halys
Round three: Alejandro Tabilo (25)
Round four: Lorenzo Musetti (13)
Quarter-final: Alex De Minaur (6)
Semi-final: Felix Auger-Aliassime (3)
Final: Carlos Alcaraz (2)

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s possible road to the final

Round one: Rinky Hijikata
Round two: Karen Khachanov
Round three: Ignasio Buse (32)
Round four: Learner Tien (14)
Quarter-final: Alex De Minaur (6)
Semi-final: Alexander Zverev (1)
Final: Carlos Alcaraz (2)

For the draw in full, see below.

US Open Men’s Singles main draw pic.twitter.com/Yg0vDOiZGy

— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) August 27, 2026

The post Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic path to US Open final as top seed Alexander Zverev gets favourable draw appeared first on Tennis365.

Alex Eala is heading into the US Open with more expectation on her than in any Grand Slam she has played so far, with her stunning run of form in recent weeks raising hopes of a deep run at Flushing Meadows.

Eala has enjoyed a thrilling few weeks of success, with her run to the last-16 at Wimbledon including a memorable win against defending champion Iga Swiatek.

She backed that up by winning her first WTA Tour title in Washington, which ensured Eala’s star status took a huge leap forward.

Now she is set to be a star performer at this year’s US Open, with the prospect of playing in night sessions at the final Grand Slam of 2026 likely to become a reality given her current profile in the sport.

One of the big goals for Eala will be a breakthrough into the top 10 of the WTA Rankings, but that will be tough to achieve at the US Open over the next couple of weeks.

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The next big rankings target for Eala will be a place in the top ten, but that will be hard to achieve for the 21-year-old, who will need sustained success to join the sport’s elite list.

Eala is currently ranked at No 18 in the WTA Rankings and after losing in the record round of the US Open last year, progress beyond that point in the 2026 edition will provide a boost to her ranking.

The 21-year-old is currently sitting on 2,281 ranking points and to overhaul the 10th-ranked player, she will need to continue her winning form for some time.

Amanda Anisimova is currently ranked in 10th spot in the rankings with 4,533 ranking points, so not even victory in the US Open final would allow Eala to overhaul the American.

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The good news for her fans must be that she has limited points to defend over the next few months and if she shines at the US Open and then on the Asian swing of the WTA Tour that follows, she could end 2026 in around 15th spot in the ranking.

Then she can push for a top 10 place next year, with the ranking points on offer at the US Open listed below:

Winner – 2,000 points
Runner-up – 1,300 points
Semi-final – 780 points
Quarter-final – 430 points
Round of 16 – 240 points
Third round – 130 points
Second round – 70 points
First round – 10 points

READ NEXT: 2026 US Open favourites: Sabalenka below par, Rybakina injured, Pegula, Gauff, Swiatek, Eala in form

The post Alex Eala: What WTA ranking can the Filipina star reach if she shines at the US Open? appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz arrives at the US Open this year with several questions marks lingering over the Spaniard.

Alcaraz has been out since the Barcelona Open in April, having suffered a wrist injury at the Spanish clay court tournament.

The world No 3 played the US Open mixed doubles alongside Serena Williams at Flushing Meadows, which left more questions than answers for Alcaraz.

The Spaniard did not look at his best during his matches and his serve in particular looks like a shadow of its former self.

With just a few days to go until the main draw begins, Alcaraz has been practicing alongside some big hitters on the ATP Tour to get up to shape.

He trained alongside Cincinnati Open champion Arthur Fils in New York, as well as another rising star on the ATP Tour.

Daniel Merida had the honour of playing with Alcaraz in his first practice session at the US Open, to put him through his paces for his US Open mixed doubles stint with Serena Williams.

The rising Spaniard, who replaced Alcaraz in the Davis Cup, has now had his say on how the world No 3 performed at Flushing Meadows.

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Speaking to MARCA, Merida said: “Carlos is playing well, but after 4 months out, obviously it’s noticeable a bit. He plays at a very high level, once he gets his rhythm back, plays a few matches and overcomes any fear about his wrist, we’ll see him back at the level we’ve always seen.”

Merida has enjoyed an impressive rise on the ATP Tour of late, which includes achieving his career ranking high of world No 40 most recently.

The Spaniard reached the quarter finals of the Canadian Open prior to the US Open, defeating the likes of Tallon Griekspoor, Alex Michelsen, and Ugo Humbert en route.

He also claimed an ATP 250 title in Umag on the clay directly following Wimbledon, so he’s starting to show he has real promise at the top of the sport.

Merida has more than earned the right to train with Alcaraz ahead of the US Open and he’s no doubt done an excellent job of getting the Spaniard up to speed ahead of his first singles tournament back.

Alcaraz and Merida will find out their first round opponents at the US Open when the main draw is made on Thursday, 27th August.

The main draw for the Grand Slam is set to begin on Sunday, 30th August and run for two weeks until the men’s final on Sunday, 13th August.

The post Daniel Merida says what he’s noticed about Carlos Alcaraz after practising with him at the US Open appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner surprised fans by announcing his withdrawal from the US Open, due to a mysterious knee injury he picked up between Wimbledon and now.

The Italian has been rumoured to be dealing with an injury in the lead-up to the US Open, but there was never any confirmation that it might force him out of action.

The star has left the US Open wide open, with Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev now the frontrunners to win the Grand Slam.

There has been a new injury update on Sinner from Gazzetta and they have confirmed what the world No 1 is really dealing with and when he might be back in action.

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According to the Italia outlet, Sinner not suffering from any knee lesion, which would have kept him out of action for much of the rest of the season.

Instead, inflammation of the knee is what is plaguing the Italian and he has been told to stay away from tennis courts for at least eight days as he tries to return to action.

Sinner has been told not to start practicing again until September 6th at the earliest, which makes his US Open withdrawal make even more sense.

Gazetta is reporting that this period of inactivity could even be extended, but that has not changed when Sinner is planning to return to the ATP Tour.

According to reports, Sinner is eyeing the China Open as his return tournament. The ATP 500 event begins on September 30, so it will give the world No 1 over a month to get back to 100% fitness.

Sinner won the tournament last year, so he will be defending the full 500 points at the event.

The Italian defeated the likes of Alex de Minaur, Learner Tien, Fabian Maroszan, and Marin Cilic to win the tournament last season and he will be the overwhelming favourite to lift the title again, even after his injury problems.

Should Sinner return to the China Open for his return to the ATP Tour, he will not have to face Alcaraz, as the Spaniard is set to play the Japan Open in the same week.

Following the China Open, Sinner will very likely play the Shanghai Masters to conclude his Asian swing, before heading off to the indoor European swing.

Sinner is one of the best indoor players in tennis, so he will be hoping to be match fit for the selection of tournaments in Europe. Those include the Paris Masters, the Vienna Open, and the ATP Finals, all of which Sinner won in the 2025 season.

The post Jannik Sinner told to stay away from tennis in worrying injury update appeared first on Tennis365.

Stan Wawrinka thought his Grand Slam career was over, but he is now set to make a final appearance at the US Open after an unexpected U-turn.

The Swiss great will call time on his illustrious career after playing the ATP 500 tournament in Basel in October.

Wawrinka won his third major title at the US Open in 2016 following victories at the 2015 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open.

The 41-year-old needed a wildcard to enter the 2026 US Open main draw as his ranking was not high enough for direct entry at the time of the cutoff.

However, US Open organisers did not award a wildcard to Wawrinka — a decision met with strong criticism from tennis fans.

It has now emerged, though, that Wawrinka has received a wildcard spot previously given to American Patrick Kypson — who has withdrawn due to injury.

In a social media post, the US Open announced: “Three-time Grand Slam and 2016 US Open men’s singles champion Stan Wawrinka will receive a singles main draw wild card into the 2026 US Open.

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“Patrick Kypson, previously awarded a main draw wild card, withdrew with an injury.”

In a brief statement, Wawrinka reacted to the news that he will play at Flushing Meadows one last time.

“I’m incredibly excited to accept the wild card for the 2026 US Open and look forward to competing in front of the fans in New York once again,” said the former world No 3.

The announcement comes the day after Wawrinka reflected on his US Open career in a classy and emotional message on Instagram.

“When I first arrived in New York from a small farming village in Switzerland, everything felt too big. The city. The noise. The energy. The crowds. The lights,” Wawrinka wrote.

“But year after year New York slowly became one of my favourite places in the world. This city challenged me. It pushed me. It brought something out of me that few places ever could.

“I experienced some of the strongest emotions of my career here. The battles, the late nights, the incredible atmosphere, the love from the crowd…memories that will stay with me forever.

“Winning the US Open, in the city that never sleeps, will forever be one of the greatest moments of my life.

“Thank you, New York. Thank you, @usopen. Thank you to every single fan who supported me, pushed me, believed in me and shared all these emotions with me over the years.

“Forever grateful. Forever New York.”

READ NEXT: Kim Clijsters predicts who will win the US Open over Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev

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The US Open is very nearly upon us and the men’s field is arguably as wide-open as it ever has been.

Jannik Sinner threw a spanner into the works by withdrawing from the competition, while Carlos Alcaraz is only just returning from five months away.

Outside of the top two, Alexander Zverev will be hoping to continue his good form at Grand Slams this year, while Ben Shelton has the best chance to end the American drought at majors, dating back to 2003.

Kim Clijsters, however, has opted for a different pick as the men’s winner when asked to name who she thinks will win the US Open on her podcast Love All.

Asked if she had any predictions for who would win the men’s title at the US Open this year, Clijsters said: “I don’t, I mean especially you know with Sinner now being out like I feel like it’s so wide open.”

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However, when pressed, she did make a bold prediction, suggesting neither Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, or Novak Djokovic would win the Grand Slam.

“I think we talked about this last week that there’s a lot of players that are going to these big tournaments now that believe like, ‘Hey Alcaraz is back but maybe he’s not fully fully back yet and Sinner’s not in the draw, I have a chance’.

“So it’s just really hard to to predict and I don’t know like I you know you would think on one side like with with Arthur Fils playing so well in Cincinnati.

“But yeah then I think like oh is it maybe too soon for him to win you know the battle of the the long matches, but I do think he’s a player who loves the energy of New York.

“I think he can really rise above himself because of the the vibe that New York brings, especially in the night matches. So, I’m gonna go I’m gonna go with Arthur just to give an answer to your question.”

Fils won the Cincinnati Open prior to the US Open and he has enjoyed a very impressive season on the ATP Tour so far in 2026.

The Frenchman also won the Barcelona Open title and reached the semi finals of the Madrid Open and the Miami Open.

However, he is yet to play his best tennis at Grand Slams this year. He withdrew from both the Australian Open and Roland Garros and he was beaten in the second round of Wimbledon by Matteo Berrettini.

Fils has also never reached past the second round of the US Open, so he will have to go against his career form to live up to Clijsters’ prediction.

The post Kim Clijsters predicts who will win the US Open over Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz has returned to tennis at the US Open, where he is set to play his first singles match since suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April.

The Spaniard began his return with a high-profile doubles partnership with Serena Williams in the US Open mixed doubles.

Alcaraz and Williams defeated Lloyd Glasspool and Erin Routliffe to reach the quarter finals of the competition, where they were beaten by Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic.

The world No 3 has also been hitting the practice courts at Flushing Meadows, alongside the likes of Daniel Merida and Arthur Fils.

Speaking on Kim Clijsters Love All podcast, Blair Henley has questioned Alcaraz’s preparations at the US Open, which started with him playing without a partner.

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“So, typically with these practices I have like for instance yesterday you had Matteo Arnaldi practicing with Lorenzo Musetti or you had Daniel Merida practicing with Alex de Minaur. So, you have two players whose coaches or agents talk to each other,” said Henley.

“They plan a time to go out and hit. They get a practice in. It is fairly unusual during this lead up to the US Open week to see a player out with just a coach, where most of the balls are being fed to him out of a basket.

“He did some two on ones as well with Samu and Alvaro, but for the most part he was getting balls fed to him. So, initially I was thinking I don’t know that that is a great sign.”

Alcaraz has since started playing with high-profile hitting partners, but he also might have been hit with another stumbling block in New York.

Alcaraz was set to return to the practice courts at the US Open on Wednesday, 26th August, a day after his final match with Williams in the doubles.

However, Alcaraz is now nowhere to be seen on the schedule and looks to be taking a day off to recover, with just four days to go until the US Open begins.

Whether this is precautionary, or the plan all along, it does seem strange that Alcaraz has opted not to hit tennis balls so close to the US Open.

Alcaraz will find out his first round opponent at the US Open when the draw is made on Thursday, 27th August.

As the second seed at the tournament, Alcaraz already knows that he will be in the opposite side of the draw to Alexander Zverev, who will play the event as the number one seed.

The post Carlos Alcaraz preparations for the US Open come under scrutiny appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams are out of the US Open mixed doubles after losing in the quarter-finals against Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli and now the tennis world will wait to see what happens next for the defending men’s singles champion in New York.

Alcaraz and Williams were all smiles during their time on court as they beat former doubles world No 1-ranked players Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool in their opening match.

Williams was especially impressive in that opener, as she was the dominant player as Alcaraz made his first appearance in a competitive match since he injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April.

Alcaraz showed flashes of brilliance in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, but he admitted the tension got to him as he played alongside the legendary Williams for the first time.

“I think everybody could see, I double faulted on the first point, I was really nervous,” said Alcaraz after his win against Routliffe and Glasspool.

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“Playing alongside Serena, full crowd, after four and a half months [injured], I almost forgot how it feels stepping on the court. But she made it easy for me, I tried to enjoy it and go for it.”

The superstar duo could not continue their run as they were beaten 5-4, 4-1 by Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.

Alcaraz and Williams collected $120,000 in prize money for their afternoon’s work, but former British No 1 Laura Robson was quick to cast doubt over whether Alcaraz will now attempt to play in the singles event that will get underway on Sunday.

Several high-profile observers like former world No 1 Andy Roddick and 1997 US Open finalist Greg Rusedski have suggested Alcaraz would be taking a big risk if he tries to play a best-of-five-set match in his first singles tournament in over four months.

Now Robson has joined that chorus of doubt, as she was quick to respond when asked whether she expected the Spaniard to play in the singles and she told Sky Sports: “It’s going to be tough. Coming back straight to be a best-of-five [set match] is going to be tough.”

Robson added: “We are so happy to see him back. He has been missed. They enjoyed it.”

It was clear that Alcaraz was not serving at full pace for most of the two matches he played alongside Williams, with some of his first serves rolling in at less than 100 mph.

While his ground shots looked to be working reasonably well given his long time away from competitive action, that serving issue may well be a big factor in deciding whether Alcaraz will compete in singles.

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We should not be surprised that Alcaraz was not at his best after so long out of action with a serious wrist problem and it was great to see the seven-time Grand Slam champion back on court and lighting up the biggest stage in tennis alongside Williams.

Yet unless he was holding back on his serve before unleashing its full power when he played singles as early as this Sunday, Alcaraz did not look ready to challenge for Grand Slam glory in his two matches with Williams.

Now all eyes will be on whether Alcaraz keeps his name in the singles draw that will be made on Thursday, with a singles comeback in an event like next month’s Laver Cup a realistic option if the US Open came too soon for him.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz warned his US Open comeback is ‘not the smartest thing’ by Grand Slam finalist

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