Carlos Alcaraz received an unexpected show of support from Swansea City ahead of his US Open semi-final. The Spanish player was pictured holding the club’s home shirt bearing his name and the number one on the back, and the club posted: “All the best to Swans fan Carlos Alcaraz in this evening’s US Open semi-final!”

The image appears not to be recent; observers noted Alcaraz does not have his current buzz cut in the photo. Swansea City play in the second tier of English football, and the post stands out as one of the more unusual public messages directed at a tennis player during the tournament.

Alcaraz has previously declared himself a Real Madrid fan, which the report suggested may explain his affinity for the Welsh club. The connection is reinforced by the fact that former Madrid legend Luka Modric is part-owner of Swansea and that Modric and Alcaraz have been pictured together in the past.

On court, Alcaraz is preparing for a semi-final meeting with Novak Djokovic. Having lost four of their last five matches, Alcaraz did not hide his intent: “Novak, we all know Novak’s game. It doesn’t matter that he has been out of the Tour since Wimbledon. [He’s] playing great matches here,” Alcaraz said. “I know he’s hungry. I know his ambition for more, so let’s see. I know I played a lot of times against him. I really want revenge. That’s obvious.”

Djokovic, 16 years older than his opponent, emphasised recovery and preparation in the days before the match. “The next couple of days is really key for me to really get my body in shape and ready to battle five sets if it’s needed. I would love to be fit enough to play and to play potentially five sets with Carlos,” Djokovic said. “I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I’d rise to the occasion.

“Normally I like to play the big matches on a big stage. It’s just that I’m not really sure how the body is going to feel in the next few days.

“But I’m going to do my very best with my team to be fit for that. There’s going to be a lot of running involved, that’s for sure. It’s not going to be short points.”

Naomi Osaka has navigated a turbulent return to the top of the sport and now sits back in the semifinal mix at a Grand Slam. After four years away from the summit, time for mental recovery, childbirth and shifts in her off-court focus, she produced a decisive victory to reach the last four.

Osaka eliminated Karolina Muchova, the No. 11 seed, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a one-hour and 45 minute match that showcased sharp shotmaking from both players. The 27-year-old, ranked No. 24, said afterward, “It was an incredibly difficult match, I’m just really grateful to be here.” She will face Amanda Anisimova in the second semifinal on Thursday night.

Reflecting on the emotional arc of her comeback, Osaka acknowledged how central tennis remains to her life. “It’s one thing to say (I quit), but I think to actually do it, to hang up my racquet permanently would be a very scary thing,” she said after her fourth-round upset of No. 3 seed Coco Gauff. “I’ve been playing this sport since I was 3. I tell people it’s like breathing air to me. I wouldn’t really know what to do.”

Her resurgence followed a fitful stretch that included an early exit at Roland Garros and limited success at Wimbledon. Washington D.C. in July marked a turning point. After a loss to Emma Raducanu, she convened her team and insisted, “I think I can beat anyone from the baseline still, even though I lost. We just have to figure out if I have to change my game plan, or if I just have to do something new and different.”

Osaka parted ways with Patrick Mouratoglou and brought Tomasz Wiktorowski into the fold. “He’s done a lot in my game in a very short amount of time that have been really simple fixes, but they’ve just also been kind of mind-blowing at the same time,” Osaka says of Witkorowski. She credited the coach with a more measured approach and a focus on fitness and execution.

The biggest realization has been personal. “I learned I loved tennis way more than I thought I did, and I learned that, you know, I actually really love challenges,” she said. “You know, it’s like a video game. You pick it up, and even if you lose a level, you kind of just restart and keep going until you eventually win. I think it’s a little tough at some times, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz enter the 2025 US Open semi-finals with the world No 1 ranking hanging in the balance. The pair are on course to meet in a third consecutive Grand Slam final, and the outcome at Flushing Meadows will determine which player holds the top spot.

In the last four, Sinner faces world No 27 Felix Auger-Aliassime while Alcaraz takes on seventh seed and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Sinner has occupied the ATP world No 1 position for 65 consecutive weeks since overtaking Djokovic to reach the top in June 2024 following last year’s French Open. Alcaraz became the youngest world No 1 in ATP history after winning his first Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open at the age of 19 years and four months. He has spent 36 weeks as the sport’s highest-ranked player, with his most recent spell on top ending in September 2023.

In the final tournament before the US Open, Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Masters after Sinner was forced to retire due to illness in the first set of the pair’s meeting in the final. Alcaraz, listed as world No 2 at the start of the US Open, began the event on 9,590 points, 1,890 points behind Sinner, who began on 11,480.

Because Sinner was defending 2,000 points as the reigning US Open champion while Alcaraz was defending just 50 points after a second round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp last year, the results at this event could flip the rankings. Heading into the semi-finals, Alcaraz had increased his total by 750 to 10,340 and held the No 1 spot in the Live ATP Rankings. Sinner was 1,200 points down from his pre-tournament total and sat 60 points behind on 10,280.

That leaves clear scenarios. If Sinner loses to Auger-Aliassime, Alcaraz will become world No 1 regardless of his own later results. If Alcaraz loses to Djokovic, Sinner can secure his position by reaching the final. If both reach the final, Alcaraz’s 60-point lead means the winner takes the title and the No 1 ranking.

Projected points outcomes:
Sinner — Wins the title: 11,480 points; Loses in the final: 10,780 points; Loses in the semi-finals: 10,280 points.
Alcaraz — Wins the title: 11,540 points; Loses in the final: 10,840 points; Loses in the semi-finals: 10,340 points.