Sabalenka heads intriguing US Open singles

Aryna Sabalenka enters the 2026 US OpenUS OpenUnited States singles searching for her best form, Carlos AlcarazCarlos AlcarazSpain · Singles is attempting a comeback, and Novak Djokovic is pursuing the title. Those three threads make the tournament an unusually open one.

Sabalenka's form is the first thread. She is bidding to rediscover her best tennis, and the tournament will reveal whether she can. The details of her preparation are not yet known.

Alcaraz's comeback is the second. The details of his return, including how far it has progressed, are not yet known. The tournament will show whether he can recapture his best quickly enough.

Djokovic's title bid is the third. Can he win? The answer will not come before the tournament is played, and the event will provide it. His presence keeps the title race open.

Taken together, the three storylines give the 2026 US Open singles a different character from a straightforward tournament. There is no settled narrative going in, only competing unknowns.

It is not a criticism of the field but a description of a tournament where the leading figures arrive with unresolved questions. Each of them has to supply an answer before the title can be decided.

2026

Season 2026

The three questions to answer

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• Will Aryna Sabalenka rediscover her form?
• Will Carlos Alcaraz's comeback take hold?
• Can Novak Djokovic win?

Each question feeds into the larger one of who lifts the trophy. The answers may point in the same direction or pull against each other. That uncertainty is what makes the event worth following.

What is not yet known is how those three storylines will resolve. Sabalenka's form, Alcaraz's comeback and Djokovic's chances are all open until the singles competition is played. For now, the 2026 US Open singles is defined by its questions; the answers will shape the story of the tournament.