US Open: All you need to know

The fourth and final Grand Slam of the year will take place at Flushing Meadows, New York, from August 28 – September 10. Known for its massive crowd, absurd records, and huge paycheck, the US Open is a highlight in any tennis player’s calendar.

Below is everything you need to know about the most prosperous tennis tournament in the world.

What is the US Open?

The US Open is the last of the four major tennis tournaments hosted every year by the ATP Professional Tennis Tour. The others, The Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, are played on hard, clay, and grass courts, while the US Open is played on hard courts. Interestingly, it is the only of the four Grand Slams that has been played across all three surfaces during its history.

Played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, New York, the US Open boasts the biggest purpose-built tennis stadium in the world, which can seat 23,771 people.

One of the oldest tennis tournaments still played today, the US Open, was founded in 1881 and has been played annually nearly ever since. It was first played on the grass garden of the Newport Casino, Rhode Island.

Today, the tournament is one of the most famous in existence and features 128 men and 128 women competing in singles, as well as men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles tournaments. The men’s singles tournament is the attention grabber, the final of which is played at the Arthur Ashe stadium in front of a capacity crowd.

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Where and when is the US Open being played?

The US Open is played annually from the end of August to the start of September and is the final of the four major tennis tournaments that take place every year.

This year it will be played from August 28 – September 10 at Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York.

The women’s final is scheduled to take place on September 9, with the men’s final bringing the curtain down on the tournament a day later.

Who are the previous winners of the US Open?

The US Open has experienced some fascinating fixtures over the years and has been the stomping ground and birthplace of some of the best tennis players of all time.

Roger Federer is perhaps the most decorated of the US Open winners having taken a joint record five titles which he won consecutively over the years 2004 – 2008. He is the only man to have claimed the accolade in the Open era.

Matching his record for the most US Open titles is Pete Sampras, who played in the 90s, and Jimmy Connors, who also won five through the 70s.

The most recent winner of the tournament is Carlos Alcaraz. He won in 2022 and will be looking to defend his title this year, especially after securing a second major win at Wimbledon in the summer.

Other notable winners are Novak Djokovic, who has won the tournament three times; Rafael Nadal, who has won it four times and John McEnroe, who also won it four times.

In 2022, the US Open winners of the men’s and women’s singles earned $2,600,000 for their troubles – the highest prize of any tennis tournament in the world.

What are the odds for the US Open?

This year, after winning Wimbledon for the first time, Carlos Alcaraz unsurprisingly takes the position as the favourite. Alcaraz is setting out for his first Grand Slam title defence having secured his maiden Slam victory here last year. He is 5/4 to win the tournament and the Spaniard, considered by almost all to be the best of the next generation, will surely be pumped up and hoping to capitalise on a first title defence opportunity.

Novak Djokovic will have gotten used to being favourite for almost every tournament he has entered over the past few years but with Alcaraz on the scene he is the 6/4 second favourite this year. The Serb already has an Australian Open title under his belt and he will be extra motivated to take the US Open title from Alcaraz after the young Spaniard inflicted a gruelling five set defeat on him in the Wimbledon final.

Daniil Medvedev is the third favourite at 6/1. The Russian was unable to defend his title here a year ago and will be motivated to win it back after an impressive performance at Wimbledon in July.

Jannik Sinner is another young, aggressive player with a highly developed variety of shots and a vicious forehand. He is thought to be the next generations main rival to Carlos Alcaraz, he has defeated Alcaraz three times before, one of the wins coming in the recent semi-final at the Miami Open. He is 10/1 to claim the title at Flushing Meadows.

In the ladies, world number one, Iga Swiatek, is 9/4 to win this tournament. Even though she was dumped from Wimbledon in the quarter finals this summer, her convincing victory here last year sees her as the clear favourite to claim a fifth Grand Slam title. Coming in second in the betting, Wimbledon semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka is 5/1 to claim her first US Open, level in the betting with Elena Rybakina at 5/1, with Caroline Garcia next at 11/1.

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