Rafael Nadal begins his bid for a fifth US Open crown tonight against Australia’s Rinky Hijikata.
Nadal won the Australian Open in January and then the French Open in June, making it the first time he had been halfway to a calendar-year grand slam.
He reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon too before pulling out because of a torn abdominal muscle, and since leaving the All England Club the 36-year-old has played just one match, a three-set loss to eventual champion Borna Coric at a hard-court event in Cincinnati.
“I am doing things the best way that I can. I hope to be ready for the action,” he said this week. “That’s the only thing that I can say. The last month and a half haven’t been easy.”
Nadal bumped up a spot in the seedings because No 2-ranked Alexander Zverev withdrew from the US Open after tearing ankle ligaments during the French Open semi-final against Nadal.
Here’s all you need to know ahead of his opening match.
When is Rafael Nadal vs Rinky Hijikata?
Nadal will begin his campaign on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and he is scheduled to start play at 7pm local time on Tuesday, which would be midnight in the UK.
What TV channel is it on in the UK?
The US Open will be shown live on Amazon Prime in the UK, with all matches from the tournament available to stream on Prime Video which is available on Smart TVs and the Prime Video app as well as online. If you’re not an Amazon Prime Video subscriber start a free 30-day trial here.
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Who else is in action on day two?
Carlos Alcarazand Jannik Sinner are in men’s singles action on the show courts, while women’s world No1 Iga Swiatek begins her charge against Italian Jasmine Paolini, and Emma Raducanu starts her title defence after a shock victory last year.
When is the final?
The US Open main draw got underway on Monday 29 August. The tournament runs for two weeks. The women’s singles final will be played on Saturday 10 September and the men’s singles final will be played on Sunday 11 September.
What were the pre-tournament odds?
Women’s winner:
Swiatek - 3/1
Halep - 7/1
Rybakina - 11/1
Gauff - 12/1
Osaka - 14/1
Raducanu 16/1
Andreescu - 20/1
Pegula - 20/1
Jabeur - 22/1
Fernandez - 33/1
Williams - 40/1
Men’s winner:
Medvedev - 9/4
Nadal - 5/1
Alcaraz - 7/2
Kyrgios - 7/1
Tsitsipas - 14/1
Auger-Aliassime - 20/1
Fritz - 25/1
Norrie - 40/1
Murray - 50/1
Who are the top seeds?
Women’s draw:
1. Iga Swiatek
2. Anett Kontaveit
3. Maria Sakkari
4. Paula Badosa
5. Ons Jabeur
6. Aryna Sabalenka
7. Simona Halep
8. Jessica Pegula
9. Garbiñe Muguruza
10. Daria Kasatkina
11. Emma Raducanu
12. Coco Gauff
13. Belinda Bencic
14. Leylah Fernandez
15. Beatriz Haddad Maia
16. Jelena Ostapenko
Men’s draw:
1. Daniil Medvedev
2. Rafael Nadal
3. Carlos Alcaraz
4. Stefanos Tsitsipas
5. Casper Ruud
6 Felix Auger-Aliassime
7 Cameron Norrie
8. Hubert Hurkacz
9. Andrey Rublev
10. Taylor Fritz
11. Jannik Sinner
12. Pablo Carreno Busta
13. Matteo Berrettini
14. Diego Schwartzman
15. Marin Cilic
16. Roberto Bautista Agut
