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So much has changed for Carlos Alcaraz since he arrived at the US Open last year. Then outside the Top 50, he is now the No. 4 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings with two ATP Masters 1000 titles to his name.

The Spaniard does not see himself any differently as he enters the season’s final major, though.

“I [do not] feel at all the difference between last year, for example, and now,” Alcaraz said. “I’m just trying to be the same kid as always.”

Last year, the teen was chasing his dreams and still relatively unknown to casual fans. Now, Alcaraz is one of the most beloved tennis players in the world. But his attitude towards the spotlight has remained the same.

“It's difficult, but that's how I am. The same kid as always,” Alcaraz said. “[It is important] to be humble, and I always will be the same.”

Treading lightly in Cincinnati as he returned from an abdominal tear, Rafael Nadal played just two practice sets before his appearance at the ATP Masters 1000, where he lost a three-setter to eventual champion Borna Coric in his opening match.

Ahead of the US Open, where he's set to compete for the first time since he won the 2019 title, the Spaniard is ramping up the intensity on the practice court in preparation for his bid for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam singles title.

"I took it very easy in Cincinnati, in the practices," he said on Friday's US Open Media Day. "The match, I tried my best without putting all the effort there on the serve."

[ATP APP]

In New York, practising in front of crowds during US Open Fan Week, Nadal has been hitting at full tilt.

Spain's Fernando Verdasco is one win away from a return to the US Open main draw. The 38-year-old, a quarter-finalist in New York in 2009 and 2010, earned a Thursday qualifying victory as he seeks his 18th main-draw appearance at the year's final Grand Slam and his first since 2019.

Verdasco was a 7-6(4), 6-3 winner against Mikhail Kukushkin as he produced a near-identical scoreline to his 7-6(5), 6-3 opening-round win against Italy's Gianluca Mager.

He will face 12th seed Pavel Kotov on Friday for a place in the main draw. Kotov has also won all four of his qualifying sets, including a 6-3, 6-4 win against Sebastian Ofner on Thursday. He is seeking to qualify for a major for the second time in as many tries after he earned his place in the Roland Garros main draw in May.

.@FerVerdasco is fired up! ? pic.twitter.com/8sM2IXbVRI

American Christopher Eubanks also advanced to the final qualifying round with a dramatic three-set win in New York.

After entering the Winston-Salem Open at a career-high of No. 23 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Botic van de Zandschulp is knocking on the door of the Top 20 behind his third tour-level semi-final run of the season.

The second-seeded Dutchman defeated France's Benjamin Bonzi 7-6(6), 7-6(1) to extend his strong debut at the North Carolina ATP 250 event, improving to 6-0 in sets on the week. Already up to No. 22 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, he will rise to No. 19 if he can win his first ATP Tour title on Saturday.

"It's been a rollercoaster of a season, making such a jump in the rankings, playing different tournaments, playing all the big tournaments," said the 26-year-old, who broke into the Top 100 for the first time following his run to the US Open quarter-finals last year. "It's every time a first time, and it's also my first time here in Winston-Salem and for now I'm still loving it," he added with a smile.

[ATP APP]

Van de Zandschulp battled back from 1/4 down to win the opening tie-break but dominated the second tie-break as he raised his level in the crucial moments. Bonzi did little wrong but could not cope with the varied attack from the Dutchman, who finished a 15-ace performance with an unreturned serve on match point.

The US Open revealed Thursday that Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios will play their first-round matches on Monday, while Rafael Nadal will begin his chase for a fifth title at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.

The top half of the men’s singles draw will compete on Monday and the bottom half will play on Tuesday.

Along with Medvedev and Kyrgios, other stars taking the court Monday will include fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, fifth seed Casper Ruud, sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, former World No. 1 Andy Murray and 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem.

On Tuesday, joining Nadal in action will be third seed Carlos Alcaraz, seventh seed Cameron Norrie, eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz and 2019 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion Jannik Sinner.

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There were plenty of intriguing first-round matches when the US Open draw was revealed on Thursday, led by a tantalising clash between close friends Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

ATPTour.com highlights five matches to watch in the opening round at Flushing Meadows.

No. 23 Nick Kyrgios vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis
The 'Special Ks' have been one of the most exciting doubles teams on the circuit this season. They started their season off with a bang by winning the Australian Open. At the time, Kokkinakis said: “To be a Grand Slam champion with my boy, we have known each other since we were eight, nine years old, done some serious things together, have had some serious experiences, but this is incredible.”

The Australians often refer to each other as “brothers”, but only one can advance to the second round at Flushing Meadows. Their first-round clash will be their first ATP Head2Head meeting and first match against one another since they competed on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2014.

Kyrgios is one of the world’s most in-form players. The 27-year-old has shown the most consistency of his career to reach the final at Wimbledon, win the Washington title and advance to the quarter-finals in Montreal, where he eliminated World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. However, nobody on Tour knows him better than Kokkinakis, who thrives on the big stages with an aggressive game of his own.

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are on the same half of the US Open draw as the battle for World No. 1 heats up, while top seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev faces a tricky path at Flushing Meadows, which could include Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round.

Nadal enters the year’s final Grand Slam in pole position in the battle for World No. 1. The four-time US Open champion controls his own destiny as he tries to return to the top spot. If the 36-year-old lifts the trophy, he will climb to the top of men’s tennis’ mountain.

Nadal will begin his pursuit of a fifth title in New York against Australian Rinky Hijikata, who tested Medvedev in a tight two-setter earlier this month in Los Cabos. If Nadal advances, the lefty could in the second round play Fabio Fognini, who upset him here in five sets in 2015.

Other notable players in Nadal’s quarter of the draw are seventh seed Cameron Norrie, 14th seed Diego Schwartzman, 19th seed Denis Shapovalov and home favourite Frances Tiafoe, the 22nd seed.

Alcaraz has a chance to become the youngest No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings over the coming fortnight. The 2021 US Open quarter-finalist plays fellow Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals alumnus Sebastian Baez in the first round and the highest seed in his quarter of the draw is eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz. Borna Coric, who last week won the Western & Southern Open, could challenge Alcaraz in the third round.

Three-time US Open champion Novak Djokovic withdrew from the season’s final Grand Slam on Thursday before the draw was made due to travel restrictions.

“Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support,” Djokovic wrote on Twitter.. “Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. See you soon tennis world!"

Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open. Thank you #NoleFam for your messages of love and support. ❤️ Good luck to my fellow players! I’ll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again. ?? See you soon tennis world! ??

Djokovic owns a 23-5 record this season, including title runs at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome and Wimbledon. The Serbian is 13th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

US Open Tournament Director Stacey Allaster said in a statement: "Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government's vaccination policy for non-U.S.citizens. We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open."

The world’s best tennis players will face one another over the next fortnight with the US Open trophy at stake. On Wednesday evening, however, they banded together for a Tennis Plays For Peace exhibition in support of Ukrainian humanitarian relief.

Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, John McEnroe and many more stars thrilled a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium for two hours of tennis to raise money for those suffering in Ukraine, with recently retired Ukrainian players Sergiy Stakhovsky and Olga Savchuk in attendance.

“[It has been a] very tough couple of years in terms of [the] pandemic, now with the war,” Nadal said. “Excited to be back of course, always a pleasure to play in New York and in front of probably the best crowd of the world.”

After an opening ceremony featuring Stakhovsky, Savchuk and host Patrick McEnroe, the Ukrainian national anthem was performed and Nadal took the court for a mixed doubles match alongside Swiatek against Gauff and McEnroe.

“Being on the court with John, Rafa and Iga, World No. 1, it’s really crazy here in New York,” Gauff said. “I’m happy that I’m able to do it for this cause and you guys all know me, I like to speak out when it’s right. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of this.”

Jack Draper has lived up to his billing as the 13th seed in his Winston-Salem Open debut by beating two big-name players who have spent a large chunk of their ATP Tour careers playing with a number next to their name on the draw sheet.

After a three-set victory against Fabio Fognini, the #NextGenATP Briton overwhelmed Dominic Thiem in a 6-1, 6-4 Wednesday win to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP 250. It's Draper's third quarter-final of the season after runs to the Eastbourne semis and the Montreal quarter-finals.

"I was really good behind serve, really solid," he said after not facing a break point in the 80-minute match. "In the second set it was tough because he was coming up with some amazing shots. It was a real honour to be on court with Dominic. He's an amazing player."

[ATP APP]

In his first ATP Head2Head meeting with Thiem, the 20-year-old raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set and created 10 break chances in the match. The Austrian picked up his aggression in the second set, approaching the net 12 times, but also hit six double faults as he took more risk on his delivery.

Gilles Simon's Grand Slam career lives on for at least another day thanks to yet another heroic comeback by the Frenchman in Wednesday's US Open qualifying action.

After his memorable five-set win against Pablo Carreno Busta in his farewell Roland Garros, the Frenchman made an even greater escape in a 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 win against home favourite Michael Mmoh. Down a double break at 2-5 in the second, Simon raised his level with his back against the wall as he won 11 of the final 12 games at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

[ATP APP]

Simon, who is set to retire after the 2022 season, used an efficient performance on return to complete the turnaround, converting on six of seven break chances after failing to create a look in the opening set. The 37-year-old denied Mmoh on two attempts at serving out the match at both 5-2 and 5-4 in the middle set.

He will continue to play for his 15th US Open main-draw appearance in a Thursday meeting with Matteo Arnaldi in the second of three qualifying rounds. The #NextGenATP Italian was a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 winner against 24th seed Ryan Peniston in the opening round.

In his first match since his breakthrough quarter-final run at the Montreal ATP Masters 1000, #NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper claimed another statement win on Tuesday at the Winston-Salem Open.

The 20-year-old outlasted Fabio Fognini 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to set up a third-round showdown with Dominic Thiem, who moved past top seed Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian's second-set retirement.

Draper, seeded 13th, ran out to a 5-0 lead in the final set, but had to save seven break points in doing so. After he escaped 15/40 in the set's opening game, he erased five break chances in a five-deuce fifth game, the longest of the two-hour match. The Briton saved 10 of 13 break points in the contest while breaking on six of 10 chances on return.

[ATP APP]

Entering the week at a career-high of No. 55 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Draper moved up three places in the Live Rankings to No. 52 following his opening victory. He could enter the Top 40 by winning his first tour-level title this week.

China's Wu Yibing translated his red-hot form on the ATP Challenger Tour into a debut victory in Grand Slam qualifying on Tuesday at the US Open. 

The 2017 US Open boys' singles champ and former junior World No. 1 earned a 6-4, 6-3 win against 18th seed Ricardas Berankis to move within two victories of his maiden main-draw appearance at a major. 

The 22-year-old was an efficient three of four on break point opportunities while saving six of seven break points against him in the match. He will next face Italy's Stefano Travaglia, a 6-3, 6-4 winner against Michael Geerts.

Travaglia was one of seven Italian men to advance on Day 1 of the US Open Qualifying Tournament, led by 10th seed Franco Agamenone. The 29-year-old Agamenone hit seven aces in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win against Argentina's Francisco Comesana.

[ATP APP]

Ben Shelton, the #NextGenATP American who reached the third round of last week’s Western & Southern Open, announced on social media Tuesday that he is turning professional. The 19-year-old won the NCAA Singles Championship last year while competing for the University of Florida.

“After sitting down with my parents this weekend, I have decided to forgo my last two years of eligibility and turn pro. While this wasn’t an easy decision, I’m excited for the next chapter in my career," Shelton wrote. "I want to thank the University of Florida for two incredible years. It has been a once in a lifetime experience to become part of the Florida Family, and to compete for National Championships. These are memories I’ll cherish forever.

“I have made brothers for life. I’m grateful for my teammates, coaches, and support staff at UF who have been there for me my whole collegiate career, and helped shape me into the person I am today. I would also like to thank my family, who have always taught me to BELIEVE in God, and myself, while pushing me to stay balanced in everything I do. God is good.

“With that, I am going to continue my finance degree online while travelling on tour. I can’t wait to get out there, expand my horizons, and see what this next chapter has in store. Gator Nation, I will be repping all over the world! I’m pumped to see everyone at the US Open. CHOMP CHOMP ?”

Lotta love for the Gators??? pic.twitter.com/ZVdbW6lGmp

Asia has a new star in the making. His name? Chun-Hsin Tseng.

The #NextGenATP player from Chinese Taipei has soared to new heights over the past year, capturing three ATP Challenger Tour titles, including two this season. That has helped propel him to a career-high No. 83 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Through a combination of hard work and natural talent, Tseng is now enjoying success around the world on a weekly basis. However, the road to the top has been far from easy, with the 21-year-old negotiating a series of obstacles to get to this point.

“In the beginning, it was tough, because we didn't know anybody to play with [in Chinese Taipei],” Tseng admitted. “I learned to play in school. But the [National] Federation helped me to meet coaches and visit academies and clubs and I began to travel more and more. I went to an academy for three months every year during summer vacation. It was getting better and better, and then, when I was 13, I won the Les Petits As junior tournament and the Mouratoglou Academy found me and I trained there for four years.”

Tseng first picked up a racquet aged five, when he played with his father, Yu Te (known as Ed), at local courts in Chinese Taipei. With opportunities limited, the 21-year-old had to lean on the support of his parents, both of whom worked hard and made sacrifices to help their son achieve his dreams.

Dominic Thiem’s first hard-court match since March 2021 is in a rain delay midway through the third set at the Winston-Salem Open.

The former World No. 3 worked hard to take a 6-7(5), 7-5, 3-2 lead against American J.J. Wolf on Monday evening after two hours and 30 minutes before the weather forced the players off the court. The winner will play 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov, the top seed, in the second round.

Thiem showed some inconsistency early on, making uncharacteristic errors. In the crucial moments, he dialed back his aggression to keep the ball in the court, allowing Wolf to take control of rallies and win the first-set tie-break.

But 2020 US Open champion Thiem has also flashed his trademark brilliance on Stadium Court, blasting one-handed backhands down the line and threading the needle with perfect passing shots on his main draw debut at the ATP 250.

In the same section of the draw, former Top 10 star Fabio Fognini defeated Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 7-5 in a rematch of the 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final. The Italian will next play 13th seed Jack Draper.