The entry list for the upcoming US Open has been released and some big names will be missing. It comes after some high-profile withdrawals from Wimbledon, where world No.3 Carlos Alcaraz was missing from the men’s draw and Emma Raducanu pulled out on the women’s side on the eve of the tournament. Action from Flushing Meadows will begin less than a month from now and British fans will be keen to learn whether 2021 champion Raducanu will take her place in the field.
For now, the 23-year-old is there. However, she has not played since losing the Queen’s final to Donna Vekic. “I’ve done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I’ve been managing has developed into a stress fracture and I’ve been medically advised to stop pushing through,” she said the day before the Wimbledon first round. “Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process. I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. Especially at a time like this, it is invaluable. I look forward to seeing you when I’m back.”
While Raducanu remains on the list, her compatriot Jack Draper is missing from the men’s draw. Draper was another to pull out late at SW19 after drawing Taylor Fritz in round one, suffering a recurrence of an arm injury. He will need either a wildcard or a qualifying run to take part at Flushing Meadows.
Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov both featured at Wimbledon but neither is in the US Open draw, though Alcaraz is poised for a Grand Slam return. Wawrinka and Dimitrov were both handed wildcard entries in London so all hope is not lost, with two of last year’s US Open men’s wildcards going to players from outside the United States.
Alexei Popyrin is also missing, two years on from his fourth-round run in the US, while Reilly Opelka is another absentee as he sits outside the top 100 in the ATP rankings. Popyrin is still high on the alternates list, though, so withdrawals in the coming weeks could open the door to the Australian.
On the women’s side, Bianca Andreescu and Sofia Kenin are both absent despite featuring at Wimbledon. Andreescu was forced to come through qualifying in London while Kenin qualified on her ranking but has recently dropped out of the top 100 in the world.
While Kenin could yet get in as an alternate, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen could also miss out after a difficult few months following elbow surgery. One player definitely out is world No.12 Victoria Mboko, who is still on the comeback trail after suffering an injury at Queen’s.
A less surprising absentee is Marketa Vondrousova. The 2023 Wimbledon champion still appears on the alternates list on a technicality, owing to her world ranking, but was handed a four-year ban in June after refusing a doping test.
Top players missing from US Open entry list (men): Jack Draper, Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexei Popyrin, Reilly Opelka
Top players missing from US Open entry list (women): Bianca Andreescu, Sofia Kenin, Zheng Qinwen, Victoria Mboko, Marketa Vondrousova