British tennis player Jack Draper, a former UK number one, will have to go through the qualifying rounds to participate in the US Open this year, having missed out on a direct spot in the main draw. Following a hiatus due to a recurring left arm injury, Draper is set to make his return at the DC Open in Washington, starting July 27. The 24-year-old has struggled with the injury, which initially forced him to step away from the tour a year ago, and has only participated in a handful of tournaments since then.
As a result, his world ranking has dropped to 147, necessitating his qualification for the Grand Slam event. In contrast, Arthur Fery, the new British men's number one, will make his Flushing Meadows debut after a remarkable Wimbledon semi-final run that catapulted his ranking to 36th globally. Fery and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, currently ranked 37th, just missed out on being among the top 32 seeds. They will be joined in the main draw by fellow British players Cam Norrie, Jan Choinski, and Katie Boulter when the tournament commences on August 30, with live coverage on Sky Sports.
The US Open will feature two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Wimbledon winner Jannik Sinner as top contenders in the women's and men's singles, respectively. Sabalenka aims to become the first woman to achieve three consecutive US Open titles since Serena Williams' streak from 2012 to 2014, while Sinner seeks to reclaim the title he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in last year's final.
Alcaraz, who has been recovering from a wrist injury, is ranked third and has entered the competition. The ATP and WTA Tours and the US Open can be watched live on Sky Sports or streamed via NOW and the Sky Sports app, providing customers with over 50% more live sports content at no additional cost.