History on the line for Novak Djokovic as Jannik Sinner enters US Open under a cloud

Fourth and final Grand Slam of the year begins in New York on Monday

Novak Djokovic can become the most decorated Grand Slam champion in tennis history with victory at the US Open. AFP

Novak Djokovic, fuelled by an emotional Olympic triumph, has new Grand Slam records in his sights at the US Open, where title rival Jannik Sinner hopes to shake off a doping controversy.

Defending champion Djokovic can become the oldest Open era champion at the tournament if he secures a fifth title in New York, a record he would share with Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

The 37-year-old Serb would also move to 25 Grand Slam trophies, taking him clear of the record 24 he currently shares with Margaret Court.

The final Grand Slam of the year comes at a critical time for Djokovic. This year he was succeeded as Australian Open champion by Sinner who also relieved him of his world No 1 ranking. Carlos Alcaraz took his French Open title with the Spaniard then sweeping Djokovic aside in a one-sided Wimbledon final.

However, Djokovic, returned to the clay courts of Roland Garros to defeat Alcaraz in the Olympic final in what he called "the greatest highlight of my career, winning the gold for Serbia."

Djokovic became just the fifth player to complete a career Golden Slam of all four majors and Olympic gold. The victory also silenced the increasing number of doubters who had written off the Serb as a spent force in a new era where Sinner, 23, and 21-year-old Alcaraz are steadily moving centre stage.

"At 37 I thought, you know, I don't know, could this be the last chance? Maybe. So I had to push more than I have ever done," said Djokovic, who underwent surgery on his knee in June. "Turned out to be one of the best performances I had in years overall throughout the entire tournament.

"Of course in the finals against Carlos, it was kind of a dream scenario really, having my wife and children there, the entire nation watching."

When they hung the gold around his neck and the Serbia anthem played, Djokovic said it was "probably the most intense emotions I have ever had on a tennis court."

Sinner, meanwhile, arrives after an emotionally draining doping investigation, in which he escaped a lengthy ban after officials accepted his explanation that the banned substance entered his system as a result of contamination from a support team member.

World No 1 Jannik Sinner enters the US Open after being cleared of doping wrongdoing. AFP

The Italian had twice tested positive for clostebol, a banned anabolic agent, back in March. The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced this week he had been cleared of wrongdoing – a day after he won the Cincinnati Masters.

"I'm just happy that it's finally out," said Sinner, who fired his physiotherapist and trainer in the wake of the affair.

But his hopes for "clean air" at the US Open could be dashed as players question why there was never any announcement of a provisional suspension as the investigation proceeded.

"This, I can't really control," Sinner said. "So let's see."

Alcaraz, who won his first major at the US Open in 2022, was badly bruised by his defeat to Djokovic in the Olympic final. He broke down in tears on court and said he felt he had "let Spain down".

He lost his cool in a second-round exit at Cincinnati and tweaked an ankle in practice at Flushing Meadows, but insisted he'd be "100 per cent" for his first-round match on Tuesday.

Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam at the US Open last year but has endured a downturn in form ahead of her title defence. AFP

Defending women's champion Coco Gauff has endured a worrying dip in form in recent weeks, raising doubts over whether she could become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to successfully defend her US Open crown.

A stormy third-round exit from the Olympics was followed by early defeats in Toronto and Cincinnati.

Five-time major winner and world No 1 Iga Swiatek, the 2022 champion, made the Cincinnati semi-finals where she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka.

Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion and runner-up to Gauff in New York last year, is another contender in a wide-open field that also features Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova and Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen.

But there will be no Ons Jabeur in New York this year. The 2022 finalist has been severely affected by injuries this season; having got her chronic knee problem under control, the Tunisian sustained a shoulder injury this summer, leading to withdrawal from tournaments in Washington DC, Cincinnati, and now the US Open.