US Open: Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper lead British interest – reasons to watch final Grand Slam of 2024

Will Emma Raducanu repeat her 2021 triumph at Flushing Meadows? Can Jack Draper step into Andy Murray’s sizeable shoes? And could the USA end their 19-year wait for a men’s singles winner at their home Slam? Watch the US Open from August 26 – live on Sky Sports

Will the Americans finally provide another male winner? Can Emma Raducanu replicate her stunning 2022 success? And Is Jack Draper ready to take over the mantle from Andy Murray?…

We look at some of the biggest reasons to tune into the US Open, live on Sky Sports from Monday August 26.

Will the US end their run without a male winner?

In truth, the likely winner of the men’s singles comes from one of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, as has been the case for the last nine Grand Slam finals… or could this finally be the year that an American upsets the odds and comes through?

We’re not quite yet at Fred Perry levels, and the 77-year long wait for a British male Wimbledon winner before Murray finally scratched that itch, but it’s now up to 21 years since America last got to celebrate a male winner of their major championship (Andy Roddick, 2003).

Jimmy Connors’ 1974 success triggered a run of 17 American champions over the next 29 years, which included spells of dominance at the top from himself, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. A glorious era for US men’s tennis

Having gorged on such success then, the country has been starved since… but, coming into 2024, they have five players ranked inside the top 20, three of which reached the quarter-finals last year – Taylor Fritz (12th), Ben Shelton (13th) and Frances Tiafoe (20th) – and with Shelton going one stage further. It was the first time the USA had three men’s players in the last eight of their home Slam in 18 years.

Home favourite Coco Gauff ticked off her maiden Slam in the women’s singles last year… could 2024 be the turn of the men?