Roger Federer has offered a measured view of the men’s singles picture at the 2026 US Open, pointing to both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic when asked to identify the title favourites.

This year’s draw shapes as one of the most difficult Grand Slam tournaments to forecast in recent memory. World No 1 Jannik Sinner would have been a clear front-runner, but he has withdrawn because of a knee injury. In his absence, second-ranked Alexander Zverev is the top seed, arriving after winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open in June.

Alcaraz enters as the reigning champion, although he has not played a match in more than four months because of a right wrist injury. Djokovic, seeded No 4 at 39, is chasing another milestone as he looks to become the oldest player to win a major. His most recent Slam came at the 2023 US Open.

Asked in an interview with ESPN whether he could pick a winner, Federer acknowledged the uncertainty around the field.

“Tough one, it’s a really tricky one… I mean, obviously, I would pick Alcaraz and Novak if Sinner’s not here,” said the legendary Swiss.

“But then, Carlito, we don’t know. And Novak, we just don’t know, as well, right now.”

Federer also addressed the challenge facing Alcaraz after such a long layoff. He said the Spaniard’s preparation would be central to how quickly he finds rhythm in New York.

“I think it depends, and only he knows, how much he’s been practising,” said Federer.

“Has he been able to go all out in practice? For how long? Has it been a week? Has it been a month? And I think that’s the difference maker.

“If it’s only been a week, I think it’s going to be very tricky. And if it’s a month, I give him a good chance to find his groove early on.

“So, he just needs to make sure he get’s through the first, let’s say, three rounds, to get rolling.

“I don’t know, I don’t know the insights of how his practice schedule has looked like.”

Alex Eala arrives at the 2026 US Open in strong form, and her opening test at Flushing Meadows is now set. The 21-year-old has taken eight of her last 10 matches, backing up a productive North American summer on hard courts.

Her recent run includes the biggest breakthrough of her career so far, a first WTA Tour title at the WTA 500 event in Washington DC. From there, she continued to build momentum by reaching the fourth round in Toronto and the third round in Cincinnati.

That stretch has lifted the Quezon City-born player to a career-high world No 18, and she enters New York as the 17th seed. It will be her second appearance in the main draw of the US Open, following a run to the second round on her debut last year.

Eala’s first-round opponent is American qualifier Mary Stoiana. Born on May 6, 2003 in Southbury, Connecticut to Val Stoiana and Kathleen Morrone, Stoiana started playing tennis at the age of four and learned the game from her father, who is both a coach and a former college tennis player.

Stoiana has reached the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after qualifying wins over Harmony Tan, Katie Swan and Yue Yuan. Her path to the professional game included college tennis at Texas A&M university, where she was named SEC player of the year in 2023 and 2024.

She played her first professional match at ITF level in 2020 and made her WTA Tour main draw debut this year at the Charleston Open after coming through qualifying. Stoiana has won three titles from seven finals on the ITF circuit and is at a career-best ranking of world No 122.

The pair have met once before, at the W100 ITF event in Landisville in August 2024. On that occasion, Eala, then 19, won 7-5, 6-2.

Alex Eala is heading into the US Open with her profile rising well beyond the court. The evidence is clear in the numbers: her growing reach on social media has made her the most watched player in tennis, a sign of how quickly her status is expanding.

The 21-year-old has built a large and loyal following as her ranking climb has accelerated. Supporters of the Philippines’ most popular sports figure have turned up in strong numbers at tennis venues around the world over the past couple of years, reflecting the scale of the attention around her.

That momentum surged again after Eala moved into the WTA top 20 last month by winning her first tour-level title in Washington. At this year’s US Open, she is expected to be treated accordingly, with appearances on the main show courts and possibly even night matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Her appeal was visible in New York when a full crowd watched her exhibition against American Iva Jovic on the sport’s biggest stage. The occasion also produced a memorable social media moment when her father joined her on court.

The official US Open YouTube channel underlined her drawing power by confirming that Eala’s match was the most watched upload so far. While warm-up matches this year have generally drawn modest viewing figures, Eala’s one-set exhibition had already passed one million views in less than 24 hours and was climbing the list of the most viewed videos on the account.

Speaking about her support, Eala said: “Of course, I want to give back as much as they give to me, but the obligation first and foremost is to myself. It’s my journey,” said Eala, when she spoke about her fanbase.

“I am really super grateful that all of these supporters want to follow in that journey that I have, but I owe it to myself first and foremost and to my family and team to give it everything that I have. The rest will follow.”

Eala has also spoken about the pride she feels in representing the Philippines, and how moving it is to hear that young people at home are being inspired by her progress. “It just warms my heart that people in my country are looking at what I am doing and might try tennis,” she added.