Elena Rybakina says she is healthy enough to pursue the No 1 ranking at the US Open, despite a recent foot injury. The second seed starts the tournament at No 1 in the live rankings, while Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula can move ahead of her only by winning the title if Rybakina does not reach the semi-finals. Rybakina, the Australian Open champion, rebuilt her form during the North American hard-court swing by reaching the Canadian Open final and the last eight of the Cincinnati Open before retiring against Swiatek in the quarter-final. She said her priority was remaining healthy and taking the tournament one match at a time rather than focusing on the ranking scenarios.
Guardian Sport reports that Novak Djokovic is also heading into New York with a major opportunity, as he seeks a potential 25th grand slam title in a men’s draw it describes as wide open. Djokovic has played only once since his semi-final run at Wimbledon, losing his first match at the Cincinnati Open to Thiago Agustín Tirante while dealing with humidity. The Serbian player said the early defeat gave him almost two weeks to train and bring his body and mind into the right condition for the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz is returning after four and a half months away with a right wrist problem, while Jannik Sinner is absent through injury, leaving Djokovic to manage the physical demands of the tournament at 39. Djokovic has reached at least the semi-finals in six of his last seven grand slam tournaments, with Alcaraz and Sinner responsible for five of his defeats during that span, alongside a retirement loss at the Australian Open last year. He considers himself as prepared as possible, although Guardian Sport notes that practice will be different from playing a best-of-five match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.