The tennis tour leaves the grass courts for the hard courts.

Before we know it, the players will be arriving in New York for the US Open, scheduled from August 29 to September 11. The qualifying draw gets underway on August 23.

But in what state will they get there? And who will be there? At this very early stage – and we know it’s way too soon to be sure of anything – the only thing we do know is that uncertainty rules.

The only Grand Slam tournament in America, the US Open is the final Major of the tennis calendar. Here is all the information you need to know about the 2022 edition.

The US Open takes place in New York City, in the borough of Queens, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The venue has 22 courts, including Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Daniil Medvedev and Emma Raducanu are the men’s and women’s defending champions respectively.

Medvedev won his first Grand Slam singles title at Flushing Meadows last year with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Novak Djokovic, ending the Serb’s quest for a calendar Grand Slam at the final hurdle.

Raducanu defeated fellow teen Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 to win her first title on the WTA Tour. The Brit, ranked No 150 in the world at the time, created history by becoming the first qualifier, male or female, to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Every year we see millions of fans take an interest in the US-based tournament as the biggest stars in the world take part and compete for the title.

The likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have dominated tennis in recent history, but could we see a shock at the US Open 2022 tennis tournament?

With Roger Federer not due to test the waters of his comeback until the Laver Cup, in September, the biggest questions on the men’s side surround the big two.

Novak Djokovic has not had the best of the 2022 season having played only limited tournaments due to his stance on COVID-19 vaccination. The problem started with the Serbian being unable to defend his Australian Open title after getting deported from the country. The former World No 1 did get a chance to defend his French Open crown, however, he bowed out in the semi-final losing to Rafael Nadal. The Serbian, however, was able to retain his Wimbledon crown recently but now, his participation in the US Open seems unlikely due to strict vaccination rules in the country. 

As of mid-July, Djokovic will not be allowed to participate in the 2022 US Open if he remains unvaccinated. In a recent interview, Djokovic said he found it strange that an American player, who is unvaccinated, will be allowed to compete at the US Open but he, being a foreign citizen, would not be allowed to do so.

Nadal, one Slam ahead of Djokovic on the all-time list, hopes to be back on court within a week, though his abdominal tear will not allow him to serve for the immediate future.

“It going to be around between three, four weeks, normal thing for these kind of injuries,” Nadal said. “I hope these three, four weeks will allow me to do my normal calendar. In one week I [am] going to be able to play from the baseline. Not serving for a while, of course. In some way that’s a positive thing, that I [am] going to keep being able to practice from the baseline.”

The 40-year-old Serena Williams made her return to tennis after a year-long absence at Wimbledon, although she was defeated by Harmony Tan in the first round. Despite the loss, Williams revealed her motivation to play at next month’s Grand Slam.

“When you’re at home, especially in New York, and the US Open, that being the first place I’ve won a Grand Slam, is something that’s always super special,” she said. “Your first time is always special.

“There’s definitely lots of motivation to get better and to play at home.”

Williams is still chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam – her last came at the Australian Open in 2017.

Swiatek took a much-needed – and well-earned – break after losing early at Wimbledon, following 37 straight wins that spanned six tournaments and included a second French Open title.

The Polish player will be a big threat again on hard courts, just as she was earlier this year in winning Indian Wells and Miami; but she has yet to go past the fourth round in New York in three appearances.

Rybakina will carry the confidence of being a Wimbledon champion into the hard-court season, and her coach, Stefano Vukov, believes she is capable of winning on any surface.

Eyes will also be on Raducanu, who will arrive at Flushing Meadows next month as the defending champion.

The 19-year-old has struggled to find her feet on the WTA Tour since her historic victory at the US Open, but still entered the world top 10 earlier this week.

She became the fifth British woman to break into the top 10 since the WTA Rankings computer system was introduced, joining Virginia Wade, Sue Barker, Jo Durie and Johanna Konta.