Update, August 31: The tournament’s first real shock has already happened. Novak Djokovic, 39, was eliminated in the first round — his earliest exit from a Grand Slam in two decades, and the first time he has ever lost in the opening round at the US Open. He fell in five sets to Argentina’s Mariano Navone, 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, in a match that ran four hours and 36 minutes, the longest opening match of a Grand Slam in his career. Djokovic dealt with visible physical issues as the match wore on, taking two of the first three sets before dropping the final two. Navone, 25, won his first ATP singles title earlier this year.

The US Open begins its main draw on August 30 with a record $108 million in total player compensation, and both singles champions guaranteed $5.5 million — but the more interesting story this year is who isn’t there, and who’s returning from injury to try to defend a title they won at full strength.

The men’s draw: an unfamiliar top seed

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is out with a knee injury, which reshuffles the entire men’s seeding in a way that hasn’t happened at a hard-court major in some time — Alexander Zverev inherits the top seed by default rather than by having taken it from Sinner on court. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is seeded second, but arrives under real question marks of his own: this is his first tournament back since a right-wrist injury in Barcelona sidelined him for nearly four months. A defending champion returning from a four-month layoff, at a Slam he won at full strength the year before, is exactly the kind of storyline that makes early-round matches worth watching closely rather than waiting for the second week.

The rest of the men’s top ten is a genuine mix of generations: Felix Auger-Aliassime, Novak Djokovic still competing at the top level, Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Arthur Fils — who arrives fresh off winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Cincinnati, a result we broke down in detail in how Arthur Fils answered Frances Tiafoe’s comeback. Fils’ Cincinnati win was built specifically on his ability to absorb a full momentum swing mid-match and still close it out — precisely the kind of composure a best-of-five Grand Slam draw is designed to test far more thoroughly than a best-of-three Masters final.

The women’s draw: Sabalenka defends, Rybakina in doubt

Aryna Sabalenka enters as the top seed and two-time defending champion, the clearest favorite in either draw by most reckonings. Elena Rybakina sits second in the seeding, but with real doubt attached to her participation and form — a genuine variable at the top of the draw rather than a settled certainty. Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Karolina Muchova, Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina and Amanda Anisimova round out the top ten.

Gauff and Pegula both arrive with recent, direct history worth knowing: they met in the Cincinnati final just days ago, the first all-American women’s final at that tournament in 56 years, which Gauff won after a fast start against a visibly fatigued Pegula — see how Coco Gauff beat a fatigued Jessica Pegula for the full breakdown. Both players now carry the physical toll of that tournament into a considerably longer, higher-stakes event, which makes recovery and draw placement a real factor worth tracking beyond just seeding position.

What to actually watch for

The single biggest variable in either draw is how Alcaraz’s body holds up across best-of-five matches after four months away — a wrist injury specifically threatens the exact shot-making his game depends on, and the tournament’s depth means he can’t simply play his way into form against weak opposition the way a lower-stakes event might allow. On the women’s side, Rybakina’s fitness and Pegula’s recovery from a physically demanding Cincinnati run are the clearest form questions hanging over the draw’s top half.

Djokovic’s first-round exit means the draw is already reshaping itself beyond the pre-tournament questions around Sinner’s absence and Alcaraz’s layoff — one more of the sport’s biggest names is now out before the second week even begins. We’ll be back with full match analysis as the tournament continues.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to Novak Djokovic at the 2026 US Open?

He lost in the first round to Mariano Navone in five sets, 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 — his first-ever opening-round loss at the US Open and his earliest Grand Slam exit in 20 years.

Who beat Novak Djokovic?

Mariano Navone, a 25-year-old from Argentina who won his first ATP singles title earlier in 2026.

How long did the match last?

Four hours and 36 minutes — the longest opening-round match of a Grand Slam in Djokovic’s career.