The Grand Slam tennis season will conclude at the US Open.
This year, three different major champions have emerged on both the men's and women's sides. Will the trend continue in New York, or will a familiar face reign supreme?
Here are five storylines to watch when the opening round begins Sunday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Alcaraz's return
Carlos Alcaraz didn't have the luxury of a warm-up tournament prior to playing mixed doubles with Serena Williams at this year's US Open. The seven-time Grand Slam champion had been sidelined since April with a wrist injury, and he certainly looked like a player coming back from an extended layoff.
Alcaraz had nerves from the very beginning, double-faulting on the first point of the match and lacking much juice on his serve.
"I was out for almost five months," Alcaraz said following his opening-round mixed doubles win, per the ATP. "I almost forgot how it felt to step on court once again. (The nervousness) was just for a couple of games, then Serena made it easy for me."
However, Alcaraz displayed some positive signs, showcasing his court coverage, remarkable instincts, and hitting an incredible lunging volley to help win an extended rally. He needs to build into form during the early rounds if he hopes to have a shot at defending his US Open crown. But will his wrist withstand the physicality of a best-of-five-sets match?
Doubles duty for Serena
It was a more encouraging mixed doubles outing for Williams. The 44-year-old looked confident poaching balls at the net, boasted top-end serve velocity, put away overhead smashes, and blasted sharp cross-court winners. Most importantly, she didn't seem to be bothered one bit by the knee injury that kept her out for most of the summer hard-court season.
Although Williams won't be playing in singles, her recent performance should provide some confidence heading into the women's doubles competition, where she'll team up with older sister Venus. Nearly two weeks ago, the legends made their first appearance as a tandem in four years at the Cincinnati Open. After dropping the opening set, the Williams sisters forced a super tiebreak against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns but couldn't complete the comeback.
Despite limited match play, Serena and Venus certainly have the potential to do damage in New York. They're 25-7 in US Open doubles play, including two of their 14 major titles as a pairing. No wild card in the draw is as dangerous as the Williams sisters.
Djokovic's tough path
Novak Djokovic faces an uphill battle in his quest for a 25th Grand Slam title. The Serbian icon could meet Stan Wawrinka or Matteo Berrettini in the second round, and an in-form Brandon Nakashima potentially awaits in the Round of 16. If Djokovic can reach the semifinals, his likely opponents are Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, or newly minted Cincinnati Open champ Arthur Fils.
Aside from the brutal draw, Djokovic enters the US Open with just 20 matches under his belt this season. Since becoming the oldest Australian Open finalist in January, Djokovic's best result this year has been a semifinal showing at Wimbledon. He's also suffered one-and-done exits in a pair of tournaments, including a three-set loss to World No. 50 Thiago Agustin Tirante in his only match of the summer.
Race for women's No. 1 ranking
The top spot in the WTA rankings is up for grabs in Flushing Meadows. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff could all come away with the prestigious honor depending on how things shake out over the next fortnight.
Sabalenka looked nearly unstoppable at the beginning of the season, reaching the Australian Open finals and sweeping Indian Wells and the Miami Open to complete the Sunshine Double. However, her grip on the No. 1 ranking has loosened after three consecutive Round of 16 exits. As the two-time reigning US Open winner, she also has the pressure of defending 2,000 points.
Rybakina has steadily closed the gap on Sabalenka with her consistent play. The 27-year-old hoisted her second major trophy at the Australian Open and has made the quarterfinals or better at six of the eight WTA 1000 events this season. Currently, she's leading all players in the race to the season-ending WTA Finals and will secure the No. 1 ranking if she reaches the US Open semifinals. Still, she may not be at 100% after retiring from her Cincinnati Open quarterfinal match against Iga Swiatek with an apparent ankle injury.
Pegula enjoyed a strong summer hard-court season, making the finals at both the DC Open and Cincinnati Open. The American has produced her best Grand Slam results on home soil, advancing to her lone major singles final in 2024 and the semifinals last year. Both Pegula and Gauff need to win the US Open and have Rybakina lose before the semifinals to clinch the WTA's top ranking for the first time in their respective careers.
Gauff's the lowest-seeded player of the aforementioned quartet, but she's arguably the favorite heading into the American Slam. A year ago, the 2023 US Open champion brought on biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan to clean up her serve. The decision has paid dividends as Gauff is cutting down on her double faults and finding more consistency with her ball toss. The tweaks have allowed the 22-year-old to regain her confidence and weaponize her serve.
"When you're seeing a consistent target, you're able to be more consistent with (your serve)," Gauff told theScore at the National Bank Open in Toronto. "Also, just trying to disguise my serve a little bit. I think that's something I've been working on. I feel like it is a little bit hard to read. ... I'm getting a little bit more aces, and a little bit more unreturnable."
American men's major drought
Andy Roddick's probably tired of being the answer to a trivia question, but the American men's 23-year major drought will continue to be brought up until somebody breaks through. With Jannik Sinner sidelined and Alcaraz not at peak form, could this be the opening for those representing the Stars and Stripes?
Shelton, the top-ranked American, has a career-high four titles on the year - including his second straight National Bank Open crown - but has uncharacteristically struggled at the major stage, falling in the second round at the French Open and subsequently dropping his opening Wimbledon match.
Taylor Fritz is right behind Shelton at No. 10 in the rankings and was a finalist in New York two years ago. Earlier in August, the 28-year-old claimed his 11th career title at the DC Open and was a quarterfinalist at the Cincinnati Open.
Frances Tiafoe miraculously made his second Cincinnati Open final in three years despite having a cyst removed from his right hand just over a week before the tournament. The Maryland native famously upset Rafael Nadal at the 2022 US Open en route to his maiden semifinal appearance in New York. However, questions remain about his health after he withdrew from the mixed doubles competition.
Nakashima rose to a career-high 17th in the ATP rankings following semifinal appearances at the DC Open and Cincinnati Open, as well as a runner-up finish at the National Bank Open. During that span, the California native racked up victories over Alex de Minaur, Rafael Jodar, Daniil Medvedev, and Fritz. Nakashima has also been one of the top servers on the circuit this season, ranking seventh in first-serve points won (77.6%).
