NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner made last year’s U.S. Open feel like two weeks of killing time until the inevitable.
They had separated themselves from everyone else in men’s tennis while meeting in back-to-back Grand Slam finals on the red clay of the French Open and the grass of Wimbledon. It seemed a foregone conclusion the young rivals would make it three in a row on the hard court in New York, which is exactly what happened.
Now, with the ATP Tour’s top-ranked Sinner sidelined by a knee injury, Alcaraz only returning now in a bid to repeat after missing four months with a wrist injury, and 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic perhaps finally showing his age, the U.S. Open once again feels, well, open.
Just don’t confuse that with meaning easier.
“It’s the same conversation,” said Frances Tiafoe, a 28-year-old American who has twice reached the semifinals at the U.S. Open (2022, ’24) and is seeded 11th in this year’s men’s singles bracket. “Still got to beat seven guys, however way you slice it.”