This year’s US Open men’s singles tournament appears to be up for grabs with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic joined by a whole host of players in the mix.

While world No 1 Jannik Sinner is injured, Alcaraz returns to competitive tennis at ‌Flushing Meadows, ending a more than four-month absence caused ‌by a wrist injury.

Although, some say 39-year-old Djokovic has a golden opportunity to finally land a record 25th Grand Slam singles title.

The Serb continues his attempts to break a tie with Margaret Court atop the all-time list and with Sinner’s absence and Alcaraz’s lingering injury concerns, this could be Djokovic’s record-breaking major moment.

The issue for Djokovic is that he struggled physically during his second-round defeat to Thiago Agustin Tirante at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month, so there are fears that his condition could come back to haunt him in the heat of New York.

In the 11 Grand Slams since his last trophy, Djokovic has lost nine completed matches and withdrawn or retired twice. All but two of those defeats came to Sinner [four] or Alcaraz [three].

What does being fourth seed mean for Djokovic?

Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, former player turned coach Ryan Harrison said: “Being fourth seed is really, really important because if he gets in that five through eight range in the seedings, he could potentially have to play three players in the top four in the world all the way through.

“If you’re five through eight and you end up drawing in the same quarter as a player who is ranked ahead of you, you have to play somebody in the quarter-finals who is ranked ahead of you, in the semi-finals ranked ahead of you, and in the final ranked ahead of you and that’s a really tough task.

“If you get to that stage at 39 years of age, you’re playing four matches even before you get there and then you’re getting to the point where you’re facing the stiffest competition – so getting that fourth seed means he is going to control his own fate, as in playing players only ranked behind him at least until the semi-finals.

“We’re not quite sure the form Alcaraz is going to be in coming off that long lay-off, while Alexander Zverev has been tough to predict at times, so we’ll never know what happens with Novak but he will have that fourth seed.”

‘Very exciting’ to have Alcaraz back in the Big Apple

All eyes will be pointed towards Alcaraz but the omens are against the 23-year-old Spaniard, as no man since 2008 has defended the US Open and no man has ever won it without playing in the Canada or Cincinnati Opens.

Alcaraz now incredibly heads into the US Open as No 3 in the ATP Race to Turin despite being unable to compete in a number of top events.

“Great news that Alcaraz is coming back,” former British No 1 Annabel Croft said. “Very exciting. He’s been so successful at the US Open before and he’s been so missed out there with his brand of tennis.

“I’ve never seen a player light up audiences and draw gasps while they’re watching him play with the shot-making that he has. He is a very special tennis player.

“I think if he can get through the early rounds – watch this space!”

Can Zverev handle the pressure of being top seed?

That leaves French Open champion Zverev as the top seed for the US Open. The German, who also reached his first Wimbledon final before losing to Sinner, heads into Flushing Meadows with just two wins since Wimbledon.

He suffered early loss in Canada and a fourth-round defeat to Tommy Paul in Cincinnati but Sinner’s absence will give Zverev, who becomes the first player in ATP ranking history to be the top seed at a major without previously reaching the top of the ATP throne, the incentive to rediscover his best hard-court tennis in a nick of time.

“It will be really interesting to see how Zverev handles that kind of pressure,” said Croft. “There was enormous pressure on him to win the French Open but he managed to handle it and get the job done.”

Zverev, Alcaraz and Djokovic will be joined by several American contenders as the leading beneficiaries of the Italian’s withdrawal including Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Brandon Nakashima, Learner Tien and Cincinnati finalist Frances Tiafoe.

And then there’s the youngsters: Rafael Jodar and Jakub Mensik.

Spaniard Jodar, who only turned pro at the start of 2026, is already up to 11th in the ATP ranking with his relentless hard-hitting, booming forehand, heavy, high-speed shots loaded with topspin from the baseline.

He became the first player born in 2006 or later to make a Masters 1000 semi-final at the Canadian Open but even more impressive is the fact at the beginning of August last year, Jodar was ranked outside the world’s top 500. Twelve months later, he is closing in on breaking into the top 10.

Then there is Arthur Fils…

The Frenchman is arguably the form player after reaching the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open and then marching into his first Masters 1000 final at the Cincinnati Open.

Fils, who was unable to play during the latter part of the 2025 season because of a back problem, returned to the tour in February, and he is performing better with his huge serve, forehand and backhand vital to his success.

Can Fils become the first Frenchman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Yannick Noah in 1983 at the French Open?

“Fils has been so consistent in all of the Masters Series events,” said Croft. “He’s done so well leading into the US Open and I just love his tennis. I love his brand, his character, his personality, he brings so much to the court.”

Watch the ATP and WTA Tours live on Sky Sports. The US Open is also live on Sky Sports from August 30. Stream tennis with no contract on NOW and the Sky Sports App.

We have a busy day’s racing on Thursday with action from Ffos Las, Lingfield Park, Newton Abbot and Southwell, live on Sky Sports Racing…

3.22 Lingfield – Debut winner Enoch popular for Gosden team

Enoch looks to go 2-2 in this Download The At The Races App Novice Stakes at Lingfield.

John and Thady Gosden’s son of Frankel made a winning debut at Newmarket last September and this relative of Almanzor looks a promising type under new rider William Buick.

Andrew Balding’s Black Chiffon scored on her racecourse debut at Salisbury before running fourth at Kempton and brings in a rating of 85. Rob Horny takes the ride, and she could put her fitness to good use.

Others to consider include Colonnade who has run with credit on both starts to date and could be one for the placings.

4.37 Ffos Las – 86-rated Blue Hercules takes on five rivals

86-rated Blue Hercules takes on five rivals in this BNI Elli Maiden Stakes at Ffos Las.

William Muir and Chris Grassick’s charge has shown plenty of ability without winning in six outings, but this looks an ideal opportunity under Lewis Edmunds. If able to reproduce his recent Ascot efforts, then he might prove a tough nut to crack.

Neswick, third on her racecourse debut back in April, returned from a break to finish fourth at Lingfield earlier this month and ought to do better in time.

Of the remainder Phantom Recon is a contender for George Scott, while Emmet Mullins saddles Winday with Rossa Ryan in the saddle.

6.12 Newton Abbot – Gore Point bids to continue the winning thread

Gore Point seeks a five-timer in a competitive renewal of this MD Elite Cleaning Handicap Chase at Newton Abbot.

Anthony Honeyball’s six-year-old has enjoyed a splendid campaign winning his last four starts, three coming over this course and distance, and he should take some stopping as he heads up in class.

Centara won this race last season and Paul Nicholls’ runner has dropped to a handy mark having struggled on his last three starts this year.

Breaking Cover saw off Centara over this course and distance last summer and warrants respect, while last-time winner Gower Prince is another to note.

Obsessedwithyou has finished in the first two in her last seven outings and looks poised for another big effort back over fences.

Best of the rest

2.52 Lingfield – Kiah contests Celebrate National Racehorse Week Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

3.52 Lingfield – Fair race with Desert Treasure looking to bounce back.

7.30 Southwell – 800,000gns yearling Night Of Gold debuts for Bow Echo connection. Market Leader represents Wathnan.

7.00 Southwell – Decent handicap where Dublin Bay will be fancied.

7.12 Newton Abbot – Thickthorn Tom an obvious one for Skeltons.

3.07 Ffos Las – Tumishi, War Gaming and Corbie Rock involved in a good-looking maiden.

Saratoga – Fair card.

Mercedes could be left “hanging on” to win this year’s titles after appearing to have front-loaded the development of their 2026 car, according to Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins.

The Silver Arrows made a dominant start to the season following the introduction of new chassis and power unit regulations, with Kimi Antonelli winning five races in a row to establish a lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship after his team-mate George Russell had won the opening race.

However, Mercedes have won just two of the six ensuing races, with extra performance added from upgrades helping Ferrari and McLaren to also claim two victories apiece in that time.

The convincing nature of reigning world champion Lando Norris’ wins for McLaren at the last two rounds – either side of the summer break – in Hungary and the Netherlands suggests momentum may have swung, with that feeling only heightened by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff saying after Sunday’s race that his team “haven’t got the money” to match their rivals’ upgrades.

Speaking on the latest episode of Sky Sports’ The F1 Show podcast, former Aston Martin head of strategy Collins reacted to Wolff’s comments and the situation that now faces Mercedes.

“Mercedes have front-loaded it and that shows a confidence in their power unit and their overall chassis design,” Sky Sports F1 pundit Collins said.

“We had it for so many years at Force India, having a good reliable car for early-season races before people got on top of their reliability is where we scored all our points.

“For many years we got our strong position in the championship just in the first six races by finishing the race in a reasonable position. So, the front-loading it bit, I get.”

While Ferrari and McLaren have regularly brought significant upgrades, Mercedes’ first major package since May’s Canadian Grand Prix isn’t expected to arrive until the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia from October 2-4, before which there are races in Italy, Spain and Azerbaijan.

Antonelli currently holds a 59-point lead at the top of the standings over Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, with an in-form Norris 83 points back in fourth. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes are 87 points clear of Ferrari, while McLaren trail by 162 points.

Collins continued: “Where the money lies, who knows? What the team bosses say to us is often not [the truth]. Maybe Wolff is counting the Mercedes upgrade that is coming to Malaysia [within his calculations].

“Mercedes have sort of put their money on the front end. There are pros and cons to that.

“Getting the points on the board early when other people are struggling is the pro, but conversely, then you’re not gathering the data and learning about the development for the next six months when other people are.

“They’ve put their decision-making one way, and it will be interesting to see if they can hold on.”

Changing calendar creates further complication

Collins also pointed out that uncertainty over the remainder of the schedule has created additional complications for teams’ upgrade plans.

The Bahrain Grand Prix is taking place in Malaysia, having been postponed in April because of conflict in the Middle East.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which was also meant to take place in April, was cancelled, while it remains to be seen whether Qatar (Nov 27-29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec 4-6) will be able to host the final two rounds of the season, with European venues on standby to potentially replace them.

“An additional difficulty for the teams has been created by the calendar continuing to change with the ongoing situation in the Middle East,” Collins said.

“It’s hard for teams to decide whether to put more emphasis on high-speed or low-speed corners, for example, because you don’t know what the make-up of tracks going forward is.

“That’s quite interesting, where they prioritise their upgrades in terms of overall car performance.”

Formula 1 heads to Monza for Ferrari’s home race at the Italian Grand Prix on September 4-6, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime