The final Grand Slam of the tennis season is nearly here, as the world’s top male and female players will be in action in the US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York. The event gets underway on Monday, August 29, with the finals being held across the weekend of Sunday, September 11.
Like every tennis Grand Slam, it promises to be an enthralling event for both die-hard fans of the sport and those that just tune in to watch the action when the best players are competing for the biggest prizes.
How To Watch The US Open?
The US Open will be unmissable for all sports fans while it is on at the end of August, and fans won’t need to miss a second of the action. In Australia, the action will be aired on ESPN International, while ESPN will broadcast all the matches throughout the tournament in the United States.
Meanwhile, Prime Video has the British and Irish rights for one final year, before it switches to Sky Sports in 2022. Furthermore, bettors can watch and bet on the action simultaneously with some of the leading bookmakers for tennis. That means that they won’t need to miss a second of the action while looking to place their bet. But, who are some of the stars to keep a closer eye on at the US Open in 2022?
Serena Williams
It would be extremely difficult to start anywhere else other than Serena Williams. It will be a famous event this year, as Williams will call time on her career after the competition in New York, with millions of fans hoping that she can match the all-time Grand Slam record held by Margaret Court.
However, the legendary star looks to have a tough challenge on her hands after being beaten in the early stages of the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters. But, her experience of winning the US Open on a record six occasions could be a pivotal factor in her favour.
Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios will be the leading Australian hopeful this year following the retirement of Ashleigh Barty early in 2022. It has been a successful year to this point for the controversial Aussie, as he reached a Grand Slam final for the very first time in his career.
However, his brave effort would ultimately end with defeat against Novak Djokovic. We are yet to really see the best of Kyrgios at the US Open, as he has never made it through to the quarterfinals. However, he almost certainly looks good value to improve on his showing last year, which saw him crash out in the first round.
Iga Swiatek
There will be a lot of pressure on Polish 21-year-old Iga Swiatek at Flushing Meadows this year, as she will go into the competition as the pre-tournament favourite for the third Grand Slam event in a row. Swiatek is already a two-time Grand Slam champion, with both victories coming at the French Open.
Her dominance in the women’s game this season has been excellent, as she went 37 matches without defeat before losing in the second round at Wimbledon against Alize Cornet. She will be looking to improve on her performance from last year, which saw her crash out in the fourth round.
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has already won Wimbledon this year, but he will have his sights set on a fourth US Open title to bring the curtain down on his 2022 campaign. It has been a strange season for the Serbian, as he was banned from playing at the Australian Open, and his participation at the US Open could still be in doubt due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
However, there is a strong belief that he will be accepted to play in New York, and he will be looking to banish the memories of his straight sets defeat in the final against Daniil Medvedev in 2021. There’s no denying that if he is involved, he is among the leading contenders to win the tournament this year.
Past Champions Returning
The US Open in 2021 was one of the most memorable Grand Slams that we have seen in recent memory. Medvedev finally managed to land his first title with the demolition of Djokovic under the lights, and the Russian will be back in action this year after being banned from playing at Wimbledon.
However, the story from the 2021 US Open centered around Emma Raducanu. The British teenager became the first qualifier to ever win the Grand Slam, as she overcame Leylah Fernandez in straight sets. She already looks to be building towards her title defense after breezing past Serena Williams at the Cincinnati Masters in straight sets. But, as always, both male and female competitions look wide open affairs.
