2022 US Open
The fourth and final grand slam of 2022 is upon us. This year is the 142nd edition of the US Open. It is the final chance to make up for an underwhelming season for many.
It is also the opportunity for defending champions Daniil Medvedev and Emma Raducanu to replicate their 2021 success. Both Medvedev and Raducanu are sitting on a single grand slam title. Adding to this tally will be at the top if their respective agenda’s. Whether they can achieve this feat, is another thing entirely. This list of contenders is a long one, and success at the final slam of the year is never easy. Potentially the main story surrounding this year’s event is the imminent retirement of tennis great Serena Williams. This is her last tournament as a professional. A good result at the 2022 US Open would be fitting for the 23-time slam champion.
The 2022 story so far
22-time grand slam champion, Rafael Nadal is the form player of 2022. Winning the Australian Open in January and backing it up with a record 14th French Open title in June, the Spaniard is in a class of his own. He had a realistic chance of winning another Wimbledon title but had to retire due to injury prior to his semi-final. He will be aggrieved to have missed out on potential further success on the grass courts at SW 19. This setback will be driving Nadal as the year closes out.
This year’s Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic is not in the mix. The United States’ vaccination requirements for entry into the country is what is preventing Djokovic from taking part. Nevertheless, the rest of the top players (barring those injured) are all present.
Past US Open winners, Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem are both lining up a shot at adding to their tally of titles. However, the form guide does say that Thiem does come in as an underdog. Lacking results in recent times, the Austrian returns to happy hunting grounds albeit on the back foot.
In the ladies draw, world number 1 Iga Swiatek is no doubt looking for the form that she had in the first half of the year. Culminating in winning the French Open for the second time, Swiatek was in a class of her own. Since then, however, the resident Pole has struggled to add to the list of titles she claimed earlier this year.
Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur has been in great form in 2022. She will love to go one better than at Wimbledon and take home the winner’s trophy. Betway’s Battle of the Surfaces is a great promotion if you love betting on tennis, we have written a detailed article for your perusal. As this is your last chance don’t miss out!
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US Open 2022 Tournament Favourites
Men’s Field
Rafa Nadal leads the list of those in contention for the men’s title. The 22-time grand slam champion is in scintillating form this year. Without Djokovic in the draw, Nadal’s greatest foe could end up being his own body. If he can keep his underlying ailments at bay, Nadal could be in line for grand slam title number 23.
World number 1, Medvedev loves playing on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows. The reigning champion has not had the best of years. Runner-up to Nadal at the Australian Open, Medvedev’s form has dipped since. He will be doing well if he finds himself in the final on the 11th of September.
Spanish youngster, Carlos Alcaraz is another one of the top seeds for this year’s event. Reminiscent of Nadal in his early years, Alcaraz has impressed in 2022. More of a threat on clay, the 19-year-old does however have bucketloads of fight in him regardless of the surface. He could realistically challenge for a semi-final spot.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios are both players who should be in the mix late into the tournament. Tsitsipas is still searching for that big result. The world number 5 has never progressed further than the third round at the US Open. Hopefully this year he can take it a few steps further.
Kyrgios, the controversial Australian can beat anyone on his day. Whether he has the mental fortitude to go all the way remains to be seen. Surprise runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon this year, Kyrgios has enjoyed some good results since. The question is can he continue along this trajectory for another 2 weeks?
Ladies Field
In the 2022 US Open ladies’ field, Swiatek leads the charge. While her hardcourt results are perhaps not that newsworthy, the top seed is no pushover. She will want to close off her slam season on a high.
There are a few past winners lined up to compete this year. These include 2017 winner Sloane Stephens, 2020 winner and former world number 1 Naomi Osaka, and reigning champion Emma Raducanu. Of these three, Raducanu probably has the best chance of challenging for the title. While she has not had the most successful 2022, the 19-year-old has come into some decent form of late. Reaching back-to-back finals is surely a goal for the Brit.
Farewell Serena
Serena Williams, arguably the greatest tennis player of the modern era bids farewell to the game after the US Open 2022. The 23-time slam champion could probably go on for a few more years, but she has decided to call it quits on a glittering career that began in 1998 at the age of 16. Winning 6 US Open titles over the years, the American is one of only two female players to have won the career ‘golden slam’. Only a certain Steffi Graf has also managed to win all four grand slams as well as an Olympic gold medal.
Williams’s last slam victory came at the Australian Open in 2017. Since then, she has been a runner-up on four occasions. While success on the tennis court has waned over the years, nobody can argue the impact that Williams has had on the game. A true legend of the game- her result in this year’s US Open is of little significance. We are best off remembering the brilliance she has brought to the game of tennis over the years.
US Open 2022 – Conclusion
Both the men’s and women’s draw is fairly open this year. We could be in for some exciting tennis over the next 2 weeks. There will be upsets no doubt, but as with Serena at 16 years of age, there will also be some future champions starting out their career. If they come even vaguely close to replicating Serena’s feats, they will have done extremely well. So what will the 2022 US Open bring? From the 1st Grand Slam, Aussie Open 2022, to the 4th and final Grand Slam of 2022 – it has been quite the year.
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