The final Grand Slam of the season begins in New York on Sunday with Jessica Pegula kicking off centre court proceedings in the day session and Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams given night-session honours.Here are some of the main talking points surrounding this year’s US Open.Alcaraz returnsAfter four and a half months on the sidelines nursing a wrist injury, seven-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz will make his singles return at the US Open.With Jannik Sinner out of action due to a knee problem, Alcaraz, who is ranked No 3 in the world, is seeded No 2 in New York behind Alexander Zverev.The 23-year-old Spaniard shares a half of the draw with four-time US Open champion Djokovic; in-form American trio Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Brandon Nakashima; 2021 winner Daniil Medvedev; and recent Cincinnati champion Arthur Fils.Alcaraz, who became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam when he triumphed at the Australian Open earlier this year, has had to deal with multiple injuries in recent seasons.When he was returning from a forearm injury in 2024, he had doubts about his recovery, even when doctors assured him he was ready to return.Alcaraz admits he has similar feelings at the moment but that he has also learned from his previous experiences that “it’s all in my head”.“I need competition. I need to come here to practise with these guys, to feel the competition once again, and this is really a test.“But I'm feeling great, and just I think that injury helped me a lot to know right now that it's all in my head. I gotta trust my team, I gotta trust my people that tell me it's gonna be fine.“So I just have to go 100 per cent, and right now I think with the practice I have made so far, it's been all good. So I’m trying to stay away from that fear, and I'm playing normal.”Alcaraz faces Russian world No 98 Roman Safiullin in his opening round and could meet Shelton or Fils in the quarter-finals.WTA No 1 spot up for grabsFour different players could finish the US Open as the world No 1 as Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Pegula all stand a chance to dethrone current leader Aryna Sabalenka and take over the top spot for the very first time.Rybakina, the world No 2, is mathematically in the best position to achieve that, but her chances could be dented by the Achilles injury she sustained during her quarter-final loss to Iga Swiatek in Cincinnati last week.The Kazakh two-time major champion could rise to No 1 in the world if she reaches the US Open semi-finals or if none of Sabalenka, Gauff, or Pegula win the title.Sabalenka must defend her crown in New York – she is going for three in a row – and must hope that Rybakina loses before the semi-finals to extend her reign at the summit. The Belarusian four-time major winner has had a sub-par build-up to the US Open, losing in the last 16 in Canada and Cincinnati, and hasn’t won a title since securing the Sunshine Double in March.She is looking to join Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only women to win three consecutive US Opens in the Open Era.“They're the biggest, and they're legends. I was growing up looking up to them, and I loved the way they dominated the tour. So if I would be able to put my name slightly next to them, that means a lot to me,” she said on Friday.Pegula has enjoyed a strong summer, with two finals reached in Washington, DC, and Cincinnati. A former US Open finalist, Pegula is eyeing her first major at 32 years of age. She can secure the No 1 spot if she wins the title and Rybakina loses before the semis.Gauff, who picked up her first title of the season in Cincinnati last week, is in the same position as Pegula and would become world No 1 for the first time under the same conditions. The 22-year-old is already a two-time Slam champion – 2025 Roland Garros and 2023 US Open – and is seeded No 4 in New York.“I think the expectations are high. US Open can be the one you feel the most pressure at; just being an American, you want to succeed and do well,” Gauff said on Friday.Djokovic gunning for elusive No 25The Serb arrives in New York having played just 20 matches this season – current No 1 Sinner has played 47 by comparison – but the lack of match rhythm has not stopped Djokovic from going deep at the majors this year, and he has every reason to believe in his chances at the US Open.A finalist at the Australian Open and a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in the past eight months, the 39-year-old Djokovic is still fighting for that 25th Grand Slam title that would see him take sole ownership of the all-time record, ahead of Margaret Court.His only singles appearance since Wimbledon was an opening defeat to Thiago Agustin Tirante in Cincinnati, and he faces another Argentine, Mariano Navone, in his US Open first round on Sunday night (3am on Monday UAE time).Having recently admitted to struggling with his health in hot and humid conditions, Djokovic could find the weather in New York his biggest obstacle this fortnight.Top-seeded Zverev has made the finals of the last two majors – won Roland Garros and was runner-up at Wimbledon – but has won just two of the four matches he has played through Canada and Cincinnati in the build-up to the US Open.Eala among contenders2026 will be Alexandra Eala’s first season in which she competes in the main draws of all four majors.This is her second US Open main draw appearance and her seventh at the Slams overall, but despite her inexperience, the 21-year-old finds herself among the contenders for the title.Eala made history for the Philippines Washington, D.C., DC earlier this month, and she did it by knocking out a stellar field that included Pegula, Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, Leylah Fernandez and Zheng Qinwen.She is seeded 17th in New York – where she won the junior US Open crown in 2022 – and opens against American qualifier Mary Stoiana on Monday.Eala’s best Grand Slam showing so far came at Wimbledon last month, where she reached the fourth round.She shares a section of the US Open draw with Gauff and Iva Jovic and is in the same quarter as French Open champion Mirra Andreeva and former US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova.Eala started last year ranked 136th in the world and has enjoyed a rapid rise since. She’s been drawing massive crowds everywhere she competes but is keeping her feet on the ground.“I have a pretty strong baseline of belief in myself, and of course it's very normal that it fluctuates. There are moments where it's more difficult to believe in yourself, and there are moments where it's much easier,” she said on Friday.“But I think my baseline has remained quite steady, and maybe on an incline, but a very slow incline. I think that's what's important is to have that foundation of I know what I can do, I'm strong, who I am as a person, what my character is. Then, of course, the results may vary, depending on the time of the year and how you're doing at the moment.”