The countdown is on to the US Open and the game’s top players have made some interesting selections for their practice partners in New York.
Practice sessions at Flushing Meadows tend to be public affairs, with fans welcomed into the show courts to watch some of the stars of the game prepare for the final Grand Slam of the year.
The players who will be hitting together ahead of the US Open should serve up some high-quality sessions, with Novak Djokovic hitting with Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka.
Djokovic has praised Lehecka in recent years and suggested he will be a star of the future, with his work alongside the 24-time Grand Slam champion certain to be a thrill for the 23-year-old.
World No 1 Jannik Sinner has banished concerns over his fitness ahead of the US Open, after he was forced to pull out of the Cincinnati Masters final against Carlos Alcaraz on Monday due to illness.
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Sinner was back on court on Thursday and appeared to have made a full recovery as he was offering handshakes and hugs to all who greeted him on court, with Alcaraz among those who exchanged pleasantries with the reigning US Open champion.
Sinner will be hitting with America’s Alex Michelsen on Friday, while big-serving Ben Shelton will be fine-tuning his game with compatriot Marcos Giron and he is also booked to have a hit with Czechia’s Jakub Mensik.
World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz opted for a hitting session with Russia’s Karen Khachenov, while Denmark’s Holger Rune and Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti are also practice partners.
The New York fans will also get a chance to watch Alex de Minaur and Daniil Medvedev hitting together, along with
There were also some interesting match-ups for practice sessions with the game’s top women players, with world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Raducanu a high-profile combination.
Sabalenka and Raducanu have played two closely contested matches at Wimbledon and Cincinnati in recent weeks and now the pair with practice together on the Grandstand court.
Australian Open champion Madison Keys will practice with her fellow American Amanda Anisimova, who reached the Wimbledon final last month.
Jessica Pegula will look to entertain her home fans as she has a practice session with Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, who will be keen to prove her fitness after she struggled with her fitness at the back end of the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati last week.
The final preparations are being made ahead of the US Open and the biggest names in tennis are almost ready to get the big show underway, with the expanded US Open having a Sunday start for the first time this year.
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