The US Open has announced its singles wildcards for 2024, led by former champions Dominic Thiem, Naomi Osaka, Stan Wawrinka, and Bianca Andreescu.
Americans Chris Eubanks, Zachary Svajda, Learner Tien, and Matthew Forbes join Thiem and Wawrinka on the men’s side, while McCartney Kessler, Amanda Anisimova, Alexa Noel, and Iva Jovic round out the women’s side alongside Japan’s Osaka and Canada’s Andreescu.
Reciprocal arrangements with the French and Australian Opens see Chloe Paquet and Taylah Preston join the women’s quotient, while Alexandre Muller and Tristan Schoolkate round out the men’s.
Thiem won the tournament in 2020, beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the eerie surrounds of an empty Arthur Ashe stadium during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thiem, a former world No 3 who has announced that he will retire from tennis in Vienna this autumn, has struggled with a persistent wrist injury and is currently ranked No 211.
Wawrinka, who beat Novak Djokovic to win the 2016 edition, is currently ranked No 141.
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Osaka, who this week admitted to feeling out of her body and disconnected from playing tennis, won the US Open in 2018 and 2020, beating Serena Williams in the former final to win the first of her four Grand Slam titles.
Canadian Andreescu also beat Williams to win the 2019 edition, and has been on the comeback trail alongside Osaka this year, with the former returning from the birth of her daughter in January and the latter returning from a stress fracture in her back. Osaka is currently world No 90, with Andreescu world No 166.
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Of the home hopes, Tien and Anisimova stand out. Tien, 18, won a remarkable 28 matches in a row at Challenger and ITF (one and two rungs below the main ATP Tour) this spring and summer. He is ranked No 232 in the world.
Anisimova, 22, who reached the French Open final as a 17-year-old in 2019, has been on her best run since returning from an eight-month break from tennis for burnout and mental health reasons. She reached the final of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto, losing to American No 2 and world No 6 Jessica Pegula in three sets and moving back inside the top 50.
The main draw begins Monday August 26 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows. Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic are the defending women’s and men’s singles champions.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
