TENNIS
Which top players aren’t playing in the 2024 US Open?
Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff will be among the star names competing at Flushing Meadows, but Rafael Nadal misses out.
The 2024 US Open gets underway at Flushing Meadows on Monday (August 26), with Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff hoping to defend the titles they won in New York 12 months ago. The defending champions are joined in their respective tournaments by Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, the men’s and women’s world No. 1s, while 2022 winner Carlos Alcaraz will be hoping to clinch his fifth Grand Slam victory.
A handful of stars, however, won’t be involved when the first-round action gets underway on Monday.
Why isn’t Rafael Nadal playing in the 2024 US Open?
22-time Grand Slam winner Rafa Nadal is inevitably the biggest name not in the draw this year. The Spaniard was initially on the entry list for the US Open but admitted he registered to take part ‘just in case’.
Nadal has suffered ongoing injury issues for a number of years, which have limited his time on the court. He has only played in seven tournaments in 2024, one of which was the French Open, where he lost in the first round to Alexander Zverev. The veteran sat out Wimbledon to focus on playing in the Olympics but lost to Djokovic in the second round of the singles competition, and in the quarterfinals of the doubles with Alcaraz.
It has been confirmed we will see Nadal again at the 2024 Laver Cup, which takes place from September 20 to 22.
Murray retires, Kyrgios commentates
2012 US Open champion Andy Murray, a staple of the draw for so many years, announced his retirement from tennis following the Olympics.
Nick Kyrgios was involved in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in New York last week but has played only one match since November 2022 due to knee, ankle, foot and wrist injuries. The Australian will be working as an analyst for ESPN at the tournament and hasn’t set a date for his potential return to competition.
Why did Ons Jabeur withdraw from the 2024 US Open?
On the women’s side, 2022 US Open finalist Ons Jabeur withdrew after the draw was made as a result of a shoulder injury which caused her to miss tournaments in Washington and Cincinnati, as well as the Olympics.
2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrosova also pulled out due to a hand injury which has been troubling her since she was beaten in the first round at the All England Club in July.
Which other players are carrying injuries?
A host of other players who are in the draw are either returning to action after injuries or have been struggling with knocks of late. They include Alcaraz, Djokovic, Alex De Mineur and Hubert Hurkacz on the men’s side, and Maria Sakkari, Barbora Krejcikova, Madison Keys and Victoria Azarenka on the women’s.