Can Nadal dethrone Medvedev?

A talented men's field is set for the 2022 U.S. Open, beginning on Monday. Flushing Meadows hosts the event with Rafael Nadal operating as the headline-grabbing player on the men's side.

Nadal, the all-time leader in grand slam titles with 22, is the No. 2 seed and looking for his third grand slam win of the year. Novak Djokovic is not taking part in the event, as he remains unvaccinated and unable to compete due to travel restrictions. Nadal is joined at the top of the draw by No. 2 seed and 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev.

Nadal targets a fifth US Open and 23rd Grand Slam title in New York with his path to the title no longer blocked by Novak Djokovic.

Medvedev won last year's tournament by beating Novak Djokovic in the final. The Russian will be keen to defend his title but the likes of Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Stefanos Tsitsipas are also capable of contending for the title.

Nineteen years after making his debut, the 36-year-old Nadal drags his injury-prone body into a tournament he won in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019, the year of his last appearance.

The Spaniard has had to sit out the US Open four times in his career and there are once again fresh doubts over his physical ability to survive a gruelling two weeks at Flushing Meadows.

Nadal has become accustomed to overcoming setbacks, winning a 14th French Open in June despite playing the whole tournament with pain-killing injections in his foot.

An added incentive for Nadal is the opportunity to reclaim the world number one spot from defending champion Daniil Medvedev, the man he defeated in the 2019 final.

With Roger Federer still absent from the tour and with question marks over Nadal's fitness and Djokovic's absence, the race for the men's title is likely to be as open as recent years.

Marin Cilic, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem and Medvedev have all broken the New York stranglehold of the "Big Three" since 2014.

Medvedev will be especially fired up having been banned from Wimbledon along with all other Russian players following the invasion of Ukraine.

World number two and 2020 runner-up Alexander Zverev misses out through injury while fourth-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, a quarter-finalist in 2021, looks to convert potential into a maiden Slam triumph at 19.

"I feel stronger and more prepared than the last year," Alcaraz said.

Apart from Felix Auger-Aliassime, a semi-finalist last year, the rest of the current top 10 have endured a bittersweet relationship with New York.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Cameron Norrie and Hubert Hurkacz have all yet to make the second week.

"The rivalry against Rafa (Nadal) is really I feel like heating up in a way. Twenty-two, 21 (Grand Slams), a joke of a number," Medvedev said referring to the number of major titles won by Nadal and Djokovic respectively.

Medvedev rolls into the U.S. Open after a handful of uneven performances, winning at Los Cabos before suffering a shock early exit in Montreal. He reached the semi-finals at Cincinnati, where he has often thrived. Read full story

His hunger for a second major title is as fierce as ever after losing a five-set thriller to Nadal in the Australian Open final. The six-foot six-inch, power-serving Russian said he wanted to try "something big" in New York.