US Open 2021 tennis - Draw, schedule, odds, who is playing, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, Roger Federer latest

Updated 27/08/2021 at 09:18 GMT

Preparations for the 2021 US Open have been disrupted by fatigue and injuries. Serena Williams and Sofia Kenin had to withdraw from WTA Cincinnati with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer having already pulled out of New York. The tournament is one of the premier competitions on the men's and women's tour calendar ahead of the US Open, which gets underway on August 30.

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All you need to know ahead of the 2021 US Open as Novak Djokovic aims to complete his Calendar Slam and Naomi Osaka looks to retain her title.

When is it?

The much-anticipated main draw of the 2021 US Open will get underway from August 30 - September 12.

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The qualifiers for the main draw will take place from August 24 - 27. You can see the full tournament schedule further down the page.

Who is playing?

Andy Murray has been given a place in the US Open main draw after 36-year-old Stan Wawrinka withdrew. Wawrinka was the 2016 champion but foot surgery has sidelined him, opening up a spot for 2012 winner Murray, who is ready for singles action after skipping the format at the Tokyo Olympics.

Murray took part in the doubles at the Tokyo Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals, but he did not end up competing as planned in the singles due to a thigh injury. However, he reached the third round in Wimbledon in July earlier this year, exiting after a straight-sets loss to Denis Shapovalov.

The US Open was Murray’s first Grand Slam triumph, which he won in 2012 in what proved to be a major breakthrough. Surgery in 2018 and 2019 has curtailed his career in recent years, and he could only reach the second round in 2020’s American major.

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Serena Williams withdrew from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and has since confirmed she will miss the US Open too, with fellow stars Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer having already pulled out.

The 39-year-old Williams suffered a leg injury after slipping on Centre Court against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon in June. Instead of playing in the WTA Premier 5 event, the American decided to continue to focus on her recovery.

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Serena's sister Venus also pulled out, while 2019 semi-finalist Sofia Kenin misses out due to Covid.

Djokovic pulled out in order to spend time with his family and recuperate before bidding for a piece of history in New York. The world number one is striving to become only the sixth singles player in history to complete a Calendar Grand Slam, while he would be the first man to reach 21 major titles with victory at Flushing Meadows.

Rafael Nadal missed Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympic Games after struggling with a foot injury and became the latest big name to withdraw from New York. He made his return to the court for the first time since his defeat to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the French Open at the Citi Open in Washington but could not recover.

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Dominic Thiem will also not be in New York to defend his title. The world number six secured his first Slam at the tournament last year but has struggled for form and fitness since then and hasn't played since suffering a wrist injury in June.

Defending women's singles champion Naomi Osaka delayed her return to the WTA Tour after withdrawing from the National Bank Open in Montreal, along with Iga Swiatek and Kenin.

The world number two hasn’t played a WTA event since withdrawing from the French Open in early June due to mental health concerns, although she did return to competitive action at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Osaka was beaten in the third round of her home Games. The four-time Grand Slam champion will be looking to retain her crown from last year and has already found dealing with the media difficult upon her return after breaking down in tears and having to leave a press conference in Cincinnati.

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When is the US Open draw?

The draw for the men's and women's competitions at the US Open was made on Thursday at 5pm UK time.

Murray will face world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the US Open. The former world number one will look to improve on recent form after losing in the last 32 against Frances Tiafoe in the Winston-Salem Open, but faces an uphill task against one of the game's best players.

Djokovic will face an unseeded qualifier in the first round of the US Open as he competes to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete the men's singles calendar Grand Slam.

Osaka will begin her defence of the US Open title against Czech world No.82 Marie Bouzkova.

The Japanese world number three, who withdrew from Roland Garros and Wimbledon to protect her mental health from the demands of the tour, is a two-time winner at Flushing Meadows after triumphing in 2018 and 2020.

In the other half of the draw, world number one Ashleigh Barty begins her tournament against former world number two Vera Zvonareva, who reached the final in New York in 2010.

Full tournament schedule

Round 1 - August 30, 31
Round 2 - September 1, 2
Round 3 - September 3, 4
Round of 16 - September 5, 6
Quarter-finals - September 7, 8
Women’s semi-finals - September 9
Men’s semi-finals - September 10
Women’s final, men’s doubles final - September 11
Men’s final, women’s doubles final - September 12

Tickets and general info

US Open official statement: "We're excited that we will be able to welcome back fans at 100% capacity for the 2021 US Open.

"We are aware of Mayor de Blasio's recent announcement regarding Covid mitigation policies going into effect in New York City.

"We remain in regular communication with New York City officials regarding all issues surrounding Covid and we will be sure to communicate any policies that affect the US Open in a very timely manner. We will continue to follow CDC Covid-related guidelines that are in effect for our event."

Full details can be found here.