The US Open action kicks off Monday with a host of big names seeking a strong start at the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year. They include defending champion and top seed Daniil Medvedev, while regular doubles partners Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis meet in a blockbuster opening-round clash.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch on opening day at Flushing Meadows.

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1) ‘Special Ks’ Clash: Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis’ close on- and off-court relationship has been a defining feature of their success as a doubles team in 2022, but how will the Australian duo react to being on opposite sides of the net?

The pair’s first tour-level singles meeting rounds off the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where 23rd seed Kyrgios will hope to maintain his strong form at the majors after reaching his maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in July. Both players have already enjoyed hard-court success in 2022 — Kokkinakis claimed his first ATP Tour title in Adelaide in January, while Kyrgios lifted his seventh tour-level trophy in Washington, D.C. earlier this month.

2) Medvedev Meets Home Favourite: Medvedev competes on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time since clinching his maiden Grand Slam crown there a year ago. The top seed takes on Stefan Kozlov, the World No. 111 who will be looking to channel the support of his home crown on his US Open main draw debut.

Medvedev has a story of his own with the New York fans, however, appearing to have won them over with a combination of blistering on-court performances and dry wit in interviews after a rocky start. “I feel like in New York I have a special relationship with the crowd,” he said in his pre-tournament press conference. “I have no idea how it’s going to go this year, but I’m happy to be here and happy to experience whatever’s going to happen.”

3) Scene Set For Tsitsipas?: Has the time come for a deep Stefanos Tsitsipas run at the US Open? The fourth seed is yet to make it past the third round in four main draw appearances in New York, but he has already found his winning groove on the hard courts of North American this summer with a run to the championship match at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati two weeks ago.

Tsitsipas opens against another player high on confidence, however, in Daniel Elahi Galan. The Colombian did not drop a set in his three qualifying matches to reach the main draw in New York for the first time.

4) Former Champs In Action: Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem all know what it takes to go all the way in New York. The 2012, 2016, and 2020 champions, respectively, they nonetheless face tricky opening duels as they bid to kick-start another successful fortnight at Flushing Meadows.

Murray takes on the fast-rising 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo, Wawrinka meets the dangerous Frenchman Corentin Moutet, and Thiem faces Montreal champion Pablo Carreno Busta.

5) Wu & Zhang Fly Flag For China: Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen made history with their successful qualification campaigns last week in New York, where the duo are set to become the first Chinese men in the Open Era to compete in the US Open main draw.

Both players are in action on Day 1 in the Big Apple, where 2017 boys’ singles champion Wu is hoping to upset 31st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili on Court 13. Zhang, who made his Grand Slam main draw debut at Wimbledon in June, meets the powerful Dutchman Tim van Rijthoven.

Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen were sitting in the US Open players’ dining room during a rain delay on Friday, one of the biggest days of both their careers. Wu, the 2017 US Open boys’ singles champion, had just qualified for the main draw for the season’s final major on his first attempt. Zhang was waiting to return to the court to attempt to do the same.

Yet instead of stressing the magnitude of the moment, the close friends had a phone on the table to stream an ATP Challenger Tour match between Shang Juncheng, a 17-year-old Chinese phenom, and Australian veteran Jordan Thompson. Shang would win the match and later advanced to the final of the tournament.

Wu, Zhang and Shang make up the future of men’s tennis in China. That future is looking bright.

When the rain delay ended, Zhang walked out to Court 7, confidently completed his victory to earn his place in the field and held his arms out in celebration. In the stands was Wu, who replicated the celebration.

“I am very happy that we both qualified because it’s quite tough,” Zhang said. “I know he had some injuries.”

Wu, who was the world’s No. 1 junior, was invited to Monaco during the 2017 offseason to train with some of the world’s best players. But he did not immediately make his mark on the ATP Tour. The Chinese star reached what was then a career-high of No. 298 in April 2019.

However, he did not compete from March 2019 until January 2022 due to several injuries, including issues with his elbow, lower back, shoulder and wrist, with elbow surgery being the most serious of the bunch. Wu refused to use the injuries as an excuse, though.

“I don’t really like to talk about those injuries in too [much] detail because every player has injuries. I’m sure a lot of players play tournaments with some parts of the body hurting. I’m not the only one,” Wu said. “Also the mental strength that you have to go through the pain is part of the game.”

This year, however, Wu and Zhang have both showed what they are capable of. Wu has climbed from World No. 1,869 in March to No. 174, his career-high. Zhang, who became the top-ranked Chinese player in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history (World No. 136) in February 2020, is just one spot off that mark.

“I think we have a good competition between me and him and also we are very good friends. For me, I will cheer for him. We are both pushing Chinese men’s tennis levels and we’re still young. We have a lot of time to do it. I think we’re going to get to the Top 100,” Wu said. “[It will] not [be] easy, but I think it should be done, even a long time ago.

“I love how [Zhang] plays. He’s a big server and he’s aggressive on the court. He loves to put pressure on opponents. I love how he plays. We’re good friends, we cheer for each other. I think we can make some history right here.”

The pair already has. On Monday, they will become the first Chinese men in the Open Era to compete in the main draw of the US Open.

“For him it’s easy because he won the juniors here. [For] five years he didn’t lose a match at the US Open!” Zhang said, cracking a laugh. “For me, I was surprised I passed the qualies because it’s my first time here of course. I was playing quite good on clay courts after grass. I didn’t expect that I can pass here.”

Wu knows what it takes to make a deep run at Flushing Meadows. But he is not looking too far ahead. Instead, he is focussed on taking in the moment. After missing nearly three years, he knows to appreciate the opportunity.

“I just want to enjoy the event, enjoy playing tennis,” Wu said. “I think that’s my biggest change between me now and a few years ago. I enjoy tennis more and I really love to play in front of people. Just to be happy.”

Ben Shelton remembers riding around the Georgia Tech University tennis facility on a bike as a kid as his father, former ATP pro Bryan Shelton, coached the women’s team. Sometimes, young Ben would ride a scooter. At the time, tennis was far from his top priority.

The young American loved football first and foremost. A lefty quarterback, nothing was more thrilling than slinging a football around. Some of the school’s football stars would even stop by tennis matches and knowing the coach’s son enjoyed football, they would play catch with him.

“I kind of accepted at an early age that tennis probably wasn’t going to be his thing. I thought of team sports. He’s way more social than I was at that stage. I was more of an introvert and he’s a total extrovert. He’s loud and outgoing and has just so much energy,” Bryan said. “My parents wouldn’t let me play football and I always said if I had a son, and he wants to play, I’ll let him play.

“He just gravitated towards that. The whole time he was back there messing around I thought, ‘This guy’s going to be a pretty good football player one day.’”

At Georgia Tech, student-athletes and coaches dined at the same location, so all members of the school’s athletics department often mingled. One of the school’s stars at the time was football player Calvin Johnson, who would go on to become one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history.

“He actually came to one of my birthday parties when I was maybe nine and gave me a signed ball. Megatron fan for life,” Ben said with a wide smile. “I liked his athleticism. He was bigger than most other wide receivers, but he was just as athletic and just as fast as anyone else out there. I enjoyed that about him and he is a class act as well, so I like that.”

His father climbed to No. 55 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and lifted two ATP Tour singles trophies. Shelton also grew up around tennis with his father as a college coach. But football was ‘his sport’.

“That’s what he wanted to do. He knew all the college players, not just at Georgia Tech but across the country. He knew all the pros. He knew different formations. He just knew so much about the game and was just such a fan of it,” Bryan said. “He loved playing it and he always had a football in his hand. He thought, ‘I’m going to be a professional football player one day.’”

That love for the sport never waned. But Ben did not enjoy a growth spurt until his teens. And in 2012, Bryan accepted the job of men’s tennis coach at the University of Florida. Ben was nine at the time.

When the Shelton Family arrived in Gainesville, Ben slowly began to pay more attention to what was happening on the court rather than riding his scooter and throwing a football.

“It definitely swayed me to want to become a collegiate tennis player and a pro tennis player,” he said. “I think that change from being able to see people that I can relate to doing great things in tennis was definitely a big motivation for me.”

Around age 12, Shelton knew that as much as he loved football, he had to focus on one sport: tennis.

“I thought I could have more of a future in tennis,” Shelton said. “Obviously football is pretty hard on your body. I don’t know how much longer my mom wanted me to keep taking hits and obviously with my dad playing pro and being a collegiate coach, there was definitely a lot of upside to choosing a sport that he’s an expert in.”

Shelton went on to compete for his father at the University of Florida, where as a freshman playing No. 5 singles, he clinched his team’s national championship victory. This year, he won the NCAA Singles title as a sophomore to earn a main draw wild card into the US Open.

Not bad for someone who was a football player first. All that time spent on a different sport was not wasted, though. All those repetitions throwing the ball helped Shelton develop his biggest weapon: a wicked lefty serve.

“Oh my gosh, there’s no doubt. There’s no doubt [it helped]. That’s probably the biggest reason,” his father said. “Hopefully there’s something that we passed on as parents. But how you develop what gifts you have is really the key. Getting his elbow up and doing certain things with the football, and really trying to perfect that kind of allowed him to come into tennis and really develop that as a weapon, I think.

“I think that’s a big part of why he loves everything above his head, whether it’s an overhead or a serve. He’s pretty dynamic with that.”

The serve has been the key to his surge this American summer. After winning the NCAA singles title, Shelton reached two ATP Challenger Tour finals, pushed John Isner to a final-set tie-break in Atlanta and advanced to the third round in Cincinnati on his ATP Masters 1000 debut. In his second match there, he stunned Top 10 star Casper Ruud.

“If he plays like he did today every match for the rest of his career, I think he will reach very far,” Ruud told ATPTour.com. “I think it surprised me a little bit how well he played. I knew he was a young, up and coming, great player. But today he was painting lines as we call it and hitting all the spots he needed to. It was really impressive to see.

“He was young, fearless and of course he is playing without pressure, so that is something I think young players could really take advantage of sometimes. He will be around for many years and he will be a problem for many years for me and any other players.”

After losing to Briton Cameron Norrie in Cincinnati, Shelton had a big decision to make. At 19, he still had two years of eligibility at Florida. After careful consideration, the teen announced earlier this week he would turn pro.

Before coming to that decision, Ben deliberated with his family. When asked what his message for his son was as a father rather than a tennis coach, Bryan spoke from the heart.

“Hey Ben, there are going to be a lot of opportunities to do a lot of different things, so you’ve got to make sure you understand what you value, things that are most important, how you want to conduct yourself. You have been gifted a lot and with that is going to come some responsibility and you need to make sure you do the right things and make good decisions along the way,” Bryan recalled. “There are going to be obstacles and there are going to be tough times. Right now you’ve been in a patch where you’ve been gaining momentum weekly, but there are going to be times when things aren’t going to go as smoothly, and you’ve got to understand that you’ve got family and you’ve got friends that are always going to be with you and understand who those people are and which voices you really need to listen to.”

Shelton is widely considered one of the players to watch at this US Open, where he could play top seed Daniil Medvedev in the third round. But no one in the family is stressed about winning and losing now. Bryan does not want his son to put too many expectations on himself at the moment.

“There are going to be ups and downs along the way, but treat both of them the same. You learn from both and if you do that, then there are no negatives, there are only positives,” Bryan said. “You win a match, what did you learn? You lose a match, what did you learn? Just keep pushing forward and take it slow. We’re not in any hurry.”

Ben has bought into his family’s process-oriented strategy and is simply enjoying the moment. He is still a teen who loves things like cars, watching movies with friends, playing pickup basketball and cheering on his girlfriend Anna Hall, an athletics star who also just turned pro.

“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s a good change of pace from college tennis, so I’ve enjoyed being able to play in some different cities, travel to different places and play a lot of great players,” Ben said. “I’ve enjoyed the time that I’ve had this summer.”

The early evidence shows that Shelton is just getting started.

The ATP Tour’s finest head to New York this fortnight for their final opportunity to claim Grand Slam glory in 2022 at the US Open.

Daniil Medvedev defends his 2021 crown at Flushing Meadows, where the World No. 1 is seeking to hold off four rivals who have a chance of replacing the 26-year-old in top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. That group includes second seed Rafael Nadal, who is chasing his third Grand Slam crown of the season following his victories at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at 10 things to watch this week.

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1) Medvedev Defends Title: The World No. 1 defeated Novak Djokovic to lift his maiden Grand Slam trophy in New York a year ago. The 26-year-old is chasing just his second title of 2022 at Flushing Meadows, but he can look to a 20-4 career record at the final major of the year for confidence as he prepares to face home favourite Stefan Kozlov in the opening round.

2) Four-Time Champ Rafa: Nadal arrives in New York having played just one match during the North American hard-court swing due to an abdominal issue. He lost that lone match to eventual champion Borna Coric in Cincinnati. Despite his disrupted preparations, the Spaniard knows better than anyone how to raise his game on the big stage — he is chasing his third Grand Slam of 2022 (following victories at the Australian Open and Roland Garros) and a record-extending 23rd major overall.

3) Alcaraz’s Grand Slam Moment?: Carlos Alcaraz appeared to take a liking to the US Open a year ago, when he surged to the quarter-finals on tournament debut at Flushing Meadows. The Spaniard has backed that run up in style with a standout 2022 season during which he has claimed four ATP Tour titles, including two ATP Masters 1000 crowns. Can the 19-year-old add his first Grand Slam title to that tally in New York?

4) Top 10 Stars Seek Maiden Major: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime are established members of the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but all three are chasing their maiden Grand Slam crown in New York.

Tsitsipas and Ruud have never been past the third round at the US Open, but both have reason to be confident. Tsitsipas found form to reach the final in Cincinnati a week ago, while Ruud can look to his championship match run at Roland Garros in June as proof of his ability to perform on the Grand Slam stage. Auger-Aliassime will hope memories of his 2021 semi-final run can inspire him to another strong fortnight at Flushing Meadows.

5) Five-Way Battle For No. 1: Five players — Medvedev, Nadal, Tsitsipas, Alcaraz and Ruud — could potentially finish the US Open as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. All but Nadal must reach the championship match to have a chance of leaving New York as World No. 1. Should 19-year-old Alcaraz climb to top spot, he will become the youngest No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history. More On Key Matches In Battle For No. 1.

6) Kyrgios & Kokkinakis Face Off: Close friends, doubles partners, and now Grand Slam opponents.

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have already tasted success at a major in 2022, lifting the doubles crown together at the Australian Open in January. Now they meet in the first round of the singles in New York, where Kyrgios seeks to back up his strong recent form that includes a run to the Wimbledon final in July. It will be the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting.

7) Zhang & Wu Make History: No Chinese man has ever competed in the US Open main draw in the Open Era, but that is about to change after both Zhizhen Zhang and Yibing Wu battled through rainy conditions to qualify for the main draw in New York. World No. 178 Wu has strong pedigree at Flushing Meadows, where he won the boys’ singles title in 2017, and he takes on 31st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round. The No. 138-ranked Zhang faces Tim van Rijthoven.

8) Turin Chase: Plenty of all-important points are on offer this fortnight as the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin heats up. Leader Nadal, second-placed Tsitsipas and third-placed Alcaraz seek to consolidate their spots as they bid to qualify for November’s Nitto ATP Finals, while Hubert Hurkacz (ninth), Taylor Fritz (10th) and Cameron Norrie (11th) are among those trying to break into the qualification spots with strong runs in New York.

9) #NextGenATP Contenders: Top young talents looking to make their mark in New York include Hamburg champion Lorenzo Musetti, Munich winner Holger Rune and the in-form Jack Draper, who reached his third tour-level quarter-final of 2022 in Winston-Salem this week.

Musetti, Rune and Draper sit third, fourth and fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan, respectively. Among those also attempting to boost their qualification chances for November’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals are Jiri Lehecka, Brandon Nakashima and Chun-Hsin Tseng.

10) Ram/Salisbury Top Seeds: Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury found their form a week ago in Cincinnati, where they lifted their second ATP Masters 1000 title of the season. Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah are the only other former champion team in the draw, while Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings leaders Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski seek to continue their stellar 2022 season with a maiden Grand Slam crown.

What a difference a year makes.

Twelve months ago Botic van de Zandschulp set foot on American soil for the first time when he fronted up to play qualifying at Flushing Meadows. This year the 6′ 3″ Dutchman returns as the No. 21 seed after a dramatic rise that began with a fairytale run into the US Open main draw and ended with a second-week showdown with eventual champion Daniil Medvedev.

“It was really nice when I landed in New York for the first time last year,” he said. “I like the big city. I saw New York sometimes from movies or a series, so to finally be here was great. And this year should be even more interesting from last year when things were quieter due to Covid.”

Van de Zandschulp comes into the Open at a career-high No. 22 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and with a 28-21 record on the season. Last year, as the World No. 117, he rallied from a set down in all three qualifying matches, survived a five-setter in the first round of the main draw and then stunned then-World No. 11 Casper Ruud in the second round.

He also took out Diego Schwartzman in the fourth round before pushing Medvedev to four sets in the quarter-finals during his career-changing run. As he found time to reflect on the charge while vacationing in Dubai, where he went quad-biking, spent time at a water park and attended a friend’s wedding, it all began to sink in.

“The first couple days afterwards, I couldn’t really get it,” he recalled. “It’s tough; you go from 120 to 60 in the world in just a couple of weeks, you beat some great players there and for the first time you make quarter-finals of a Grand Slam. When I was done with the season, and I was on vacation and I had some more time to reflect on it, I could see how amazing it was then.”

If van de Zandschulp is a late-blooming Dutch tulip, it may be because he prioritised school over tennis during his teenage years. “I didn’t play the juniors, except for tournaments in Holland and once in Germany. I only started playing professionally when I was 19. For me and my parents it was more important for me to finish high school than [to play] tennis. In other countries, that’s different I think.

“But hopefully I still have a long career ahead. You see a lot of guys in their mid-30s still making good results. I want to play as long as I can on the Tour.”

For inspiration, van de Zandschulp need look no further than 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who at 36 has the opportunity to reclaim the World No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking at the US Open. After a strong run to the semi-finals at Queen’s, van de Zandschulp used his all-court game to charge into the Wimbledon fourth round, where he fell to the left-handed Spaniard.

“That was amazing. A first time for me on the Centre Court of Wimbledon, one of the best courts there is,” he said. “I played him already twice this year, you play such a big guy, he achieved so much during his career so it’s a great opportunity to play one of the Big Four.”

Van de Zandschulp says that he’s “living more like a professional than I did before,” focusing on better warm-up and cool-down routines and being more disciplined with his diet. More success has also opened up the opportunity to build a stronger team, which began with the hiring of former Dutch federation coach Peter Lucassen soon after last year’s US Open.

“I’m looking at some options for next year to work with a physio or physical guy,” he said. “In Holland, I practise with a guy from the National Tennis Federation; he does my physical stuff. Most of the time I’m travelling with Peter; my girlfriend is there sometimes. For now, the team is pretty small.

“I started working with Peter after the US Open. He was working at the Federation and we both wanted to work together and now he’s travelling full-time with me privately. Before the US Open, I had to be with the Federation to afford a coach; after the US Open I had more options. From there on, Peter and I are working together and it’s going well. Peter is a great coach, he is so detailed in tennis, he loves tennis, he has so much passion for it. I think we have a really good connection.”

Van de Zandschulp opens his 2022 US Open campaign Monday against Czech qualifier Tomas Machac and could potentially face former champion Stan Wawrinka in the second round.

When you play Jenson Brooksby, you know you will be in for a battle.

Since the American broke onto the Tour last July, fans have become accustomed to watching him chase down every shot and fight for every point, with hard work and commitment the foundations of his all-around game.

Next week, the 21-year-old competes on home soil at the US Open, where he is No. 43 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Just 18 months ago he was outside the Top 300, signifying the nature of his rapid rise.

“I think it has exceeded expectations a little bit in how fast I went up,” Brooksby told ATPTour.com when reflecting on the past year. “Not really in the level that I have got to because it is something I have believed I can get to from a young age, but just how fast I reached that level.

“It is really important to stay present and treat the whole process of how I got here the same and continue to build. I don’t want to get complacent with what I have done, with everyone being happy. You have to have your own standards with your team and yourself to push on again.”

Brooksby’s game has lit up courts over recent months as he combines his two-handed backhand slice with flat hitting and deft drop shots to outmanoeuvre opponents, often leaving them in a spin.

The American revealed that his funky playing style has come as a consequence of his hard work, with Brooksby and his team looking to play to his strengths as he seeks further improvement during the North American hard-court swing.

“The fitness and the cardio is something we have been working on a lot. It is something that some other guys still have better than me. But I think I have caught up a lot,” Brooksby said. “It is important for my playing style to be able to do that over the course of tournaments. If you want to go deep and compete for the biggest titles each week it is something I have to get a lot better at. I am glad I am aware of that.

“I try and play a physical game style and I think the strategies we come up with when we face opponents bring that aspect out as a result of the strategy. It is something I didn’t have naturally when I was younger. It is something I have worked on a lot. I feel I have a somewhat clear picture on court that because of how we train. We always have a clear game plan, which helps me see the court really well.”

Aged 21, Brooksby grew up watching Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dominate the Tour. The World No. 37 revealed that although he admired them when he was younger, he never understood their dedication levels until he broke through himself.

Now, Brooksby is eager to learn from them, with the standards Djokovic, Federer and Nadal set driving him on.

“When I was young, it was the Top 3 guys I liked to watch: Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. When I was younger, I didn’t really understand what it took to be that good consistent over the course of those years as I do now, though. I really appreciate that work ethic now,” Brooksby admitted.

“I respect it even more with how consistently they do what they do to get where they are at. And they have done it for over a decade and I am trying to learn from them. My team and I are really big in doing what we believe in, but my coach watches them and sees what he thinks they do best and I can learn from that.”

Last September, Brooksby gained the opportunity to have a crack against Djokovic after he surged into the spotlight by reaching the fourth round at the US Open.

The 21-year-old clinched the opening set 6-1, before he eventually faded and lost in four. It is a match that will live long in his memory and has motivated him as he aims to compete on the sport’s biggest stages for years to come.

“Playing Djokovic was an amazing experience. It was a high level of tennis for a good amount of the match,” Brooksby recalled. “I had played three physical matches before that and then had a fourth one against him too.

“I just saw how tough it is physically to produce that kind of tennis and he is amazing at. That comes from all the discipline of how hard you train and eating correctly and pushing yourself and moments like that are when those results will show.”

The American defeated Mikael Ymer and countryman Taylor Fritz at Flushing Meadows, before he rallied to edge Aslan Karatsev in five sets. For Brooksby, it was a run that helped him connect with his home supporters, leaving him excited to play at the hard-court Grand Slam again this year.

“It really does give you a big push from the crowd. It gives you a lot of energy and has even made the difference for me in a couple of matches, like at the [US] Open. “It lifts you and even if it doesn’t it is great to have. It gives you more motivation.”

With 13 Americans currently inside the Top 100, tennis in the United States is in a good place. Countryman Reilly Opelka, currently No. 17 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, knows better than anyone what it is like to have success on home soil, having won all four of his ATP Tour titles in the United States.

The 24-year-old has been impressed with what he has seen from Brooksby.

“Jenson is such a great competitor and has a great skillset,” said Opelka, who holds a 1-1 ATP Head2Head series record against Brooksby. “He can do lots on the court and works hard. I am a big fan of Jenson.”

Having advanced to tour-level finals in Dallas and Atlanta this season, expectations will be higher for Brooksby when he competes at the US Open. However, the American won’t let the pressure faze him as he looks to break new heights throughout the rest of the season.

“You always try and take the pressure in your stride. There is a little bit more expectation. It is expected. On the good side, opponents know what they are in for more and they know what I can bring to the table,” Brooksby said.

“I want to keep finding the enjoyment and the physicality to enjoy competing every day. That is what I pride myself on and it can be hard on some training days to go off track from that. In terms of results, I know I am close to the top. The Top 32 would be great to be seeded at Slam and tournaments. I also want my first title soon.”

Who has the upper hand on hard courts in 2022?

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of hard court tournaments leading into the US Open identifies Carlos Alcaraz as the peak performer, winning a tour-leading 54.12 per cent of points played on the surface. The data set includes players who have competed in a minimum of five hard-court matches so far this year.

The leading five players in the category are:

2022 Hard Courts Percentage Points Won
1. Carlos Alcaraz = 54.12% (1583/2925)
2. Daniil Medvedev = 54.04% (2685/4969)
3. Rafael Nadal = 53.85% (2042/3792)
4. Novak Djokovic = 53.40% (204/382)
5. Alexander Zverev = 53.36% (1301/2438)

Alcaraz is 14-4 on hard courts in 2022, including winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami. Alcaraz impressively defeated three Top 10 players (No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 8 Casper Ruud, No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz) to take the title while only dropping one set for the entire tournament (to Miomir Kecmanovic)

That Masters 1000 victory came on the heels of reaching the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, where he extended Rafael Nadal to three sets in the semi-finals. When you aggregate Alcaraz’s data from both of these events, you clearly see that his aggressive game style is what creates his competitive advantage.

2022 Indian Wells & Miami Combined (11 matches)

Rally Winners
• Alcaraz = 265
• Opponents = 121

This jaw-dropping stat shows how the Spanish teenager can take the racquet out of his opponent’s hands and dictate the flow of play from the back of the court. Alcaraz hit more than double (265-121) the number of winners than his opponents. The five most lopsided totals were:

• Alcaraz 21/Bautista Agut 1
• Alcaraz 18/Monfils 5
• Alcaraz 41/Kecmanovic 18
• Alcaraz 26/Tsitsipas 12
• Alcaraz 36/Nadal 18

What also stops you in your tracks is that Alcaraz also committed fewer rally unforced errors than his opponents.

Rally Unforced Errors
• Alcaraz = 218
• Opponents = 234

Alcaraz was always looking to strike more forehands over backhands from the back of the court.

Rally Forehands/Backhands — Alcaraz
• Forehands 58% (1391)
• Backhands 42% (1009)

Alcaraz’s explosive hard-court prowess will next be on show at the US Open. The Spaniard has recently surged to a career-high of No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and has a chance to take the No. 1 spot. If he does take over as No. 1, then he will be the youngest No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history.

Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Daniel Evans have been standouts for Great Britain for years. They each have thrilled fans with different game styles and personalities.

One thing they all share is a belief that the future of #NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper is bright.

Draper, who is fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin, has proven a favourite to earn a spot at this year’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. Murray, Norrie and Evans are not surprised.

“He’s always had lots of potential,” Murray told ATPTour.com. “A lot of ability.”

This time last year. Draper’s Pepperstone ATP Ranking was not high enough to enter US Open qualifying. Now the 20-year-old lefty is on the verge of the Top 50 and a dark horse at Flushing Meadows.

Part of the reason why Draper has exploded onto the scene this year is because he has consistently been on the court. Past injuries, including one to his ankle, and the Covid-19 pandemic had prevented him from taking advantage of good performances. But in 2021, he has earned 11 of his 13 tour-level victories and is primed for more.

“For 20, he’s actually quite a young 20-year-old as well,” Murray said. “[There were] six months of the pandemic when he didn’t get to compete… Although he’s 20, he’s not competed loads in the past few years, but he’s a top player.”

It has been clear that Draper is not shy of the big stages. While Draper has lifted four ATP Challenger Tour titles this season, he has also earned wins in four of his seven matches against Top 20 opponents. According to Evans, that does not solely have to do with his game.

“I think he’s obviously very grounded, he’s had good people around him for quite a long time. I know his current coach, [James Trotman], is a very ‘never too high, never too low’ sort of guy and that obviously really helps in big moments,” Evans said. “He obviously has a massive game and it’s no real surprise that once he’s put it all together, he’s been very effective on the Tour.”

Norrie remembers practising with Draper once when the #NextGenATP star was 17. At the time Norre said, “he was a little bit all over the place”. But over the past few years he has watched the rising star evolve.

“I knew he had a big game and he was a big kid already, and I immediately got on well with him and could see how competitive he was. For me, what he’s done is not a surprise at all and I’m just glad he’s really professional now, he’s taking care of everything and he’s winning some big matches and playing his best tennis in those big matches,” Norrie said. “[I] have a lot of respect for the guy, I really love his game and I’ve practised a lot with him in London. He knows my game pretty well and we’re also pretty good friends… It’s really great seeing him do well, especially in big tournaments.”

^{Photo Credit: Paul Harding/Getty Images for LTA}
Draper’s biggest run yet came in Montreal, where he advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. The lefty upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, won the first set against Gael Monfils before the Frenchman retired due to injury, and challenged eventual champion Pablo Carreno Busta in a tight two-setter.

“I think Montreal showed it didn’t bother him which tournament it was, if it was a big one or a smaller one,” Evans said. “He really just took to it.”

Murray added: “[He] got the opportunity against Tsitsipas and played a good match. I thought the match with Carreno Busta as well the level of tennis was very high.

“I think he enjoys those moments and it’s always a little bit easier in some ways when you’re younger because it’s fresh, a new experience and not as much pressure on you. But just looking at his game, when he plays well [you see] how he matches up against the best players. I think there are some really good, positive signs for the future.”

Players are often associated with certain traits. For example, Rafael Nadal is known for his incomparable fighting spirit, Juan Martin del Potro his thunderous forehand and so on. According to Murray. Draper has the whole package.

“He doesn’t have huge weaknesses in his game. For a lot of guys his size that are lefties that I’ve played against in the past, maybe [they] don’t return that well. But he is a good returner for a big guy,” Murray said. “The two most important fundamental shots in the game he does well. He serves well, returns well.

“For a big guy, he moves pretty well also and then from the back of the court, his backhand is a very solid shot. [He] rarely makes unforced errors on that side and then on the forehand, he plays with a lot of spin. When he’s got time he can finish points. He’s got a big forehand when he’s got time to load up on it and he’s a smart player as well and a good competitor. He’s got lots of things going for him.”

Draper’s journey is just beginning, with the next step his first-round match against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori. It is another opportunity for the Briton to continue his growth. As much as Draper has improved this season, Murray said there are always things to refine.

“At that stage, I don’t think there is just one thing [he has to focus on]. I think it’s the total package. You should be spending time working on the physical side, you should be spending time working on improving your game,” Murray said. “[You need to work on] the mental side and dealing with the distractions and maybe a little bit more pressure that will come in the next period as well and just learning how to deal with those things. It’s important.

“For me there isn’t one that’s more important than the other at that age. It’s just all about developing and progressing all parts of your game, becoming more professional, eating better, sleeping better, training better. All those things.”