ALEX CORRETJA PREVIEWS THE 2022 US OPEN

What can we expect from Rafa Nadal at the US Open, in your opinion?
With Rafa you always have to expect the best because he has showed already that even when he was not that he's best, somehow he finds a way to win - like he did in Melbourne, like he did at Roland-Garros, where we felt like maybe it’s not going to be great because his foot is not 100%. But somehow he finds a way. Here in New York it's pretty much the same.

It's a shame that he didn't play maybe two, three matches in Cincinnati that would give him nice momentum going into the US Open. But I'm not worried because I know him well and he shows that with little, he will find a lot. So he needs the first two or three matches to get in shape and see who he plays. It's important because maybe he gets a little bit more rhythm depending on the opponent. From then on, it's going to be very difficult to beat him in a best of five in New York. He loves the conditions, he loves night sessions, he likes the humidity as well even if he sweats a lot. But not many players are ready to beat Rafa. I think him or Medvedev, I think we need to count him a lot because he won last year and hard courts he is very tough. He wins a lot of point with his serve. So I think it's going to be it's going to be interesting.

Do you think Nick Kyrgios is capable of backing up his performance at Wimbledon, this time in New York?
Nick Kyrgios, he's ready to do great again. I think for him, the experience he had at Wimbledon, it was massive for him and then it was very important to go back to back and play well in the summertime, even if he went high, and then went a little bit down - but this is also good. I think he took his rhythm. He showed himself that he could win again on hardcourts, he won the tournament in DC and now he's going to be fresh.

I don't think anyone in the draw wants to face Nick, especially because the atmosphere really suits Nick. It’s New York. It's all about show. And Nick is the biggest show on the tennis tour. So, the crowd will love him, he loves crowds, he loves to get involved. It's so difficult to play against someone that is being distracted. He's in his in his zone. When you are distracted, usually, you never know your position and you get tired - Nick is totally the opposite. 

So when he's creating this kind of atmosphere, I feel you should play with almost like with sunglasses - I don't even want to look at you! Because if not, you are you are in his kitchen and he controls the situation. He is such a dangerous player and especially now I think we can expect the best from Kyrgios for the rest of his career, for sure.

Do you think anyone can match or surpass Serena Williams’ achievements? Or do her achievements go beyond that?
Serena is someone that I am not so sure we give her the credit that she deserves, on and off the court. She has been fighting so much for lots of aspects and she came from a background which is not that easy, and she fought so hard. She deserves all the credit and unfortunately, like in lots of things in life, when she won't be there - which is going to be soon - we will miss her so much. We will then realise and that should be a lesson for everyone to appreciate what we have in the present moment. Serena is going to be well missed because she's been given so much to tennis, that it's a shame that she's not going to continue playing so I wish her the best.

I hope she can have a nice run at the Open and again you never know. You never know what can happen. Remember Pete Sampras 20 years ago - he was about to retire and all of a sudden he ended up winning the tournament. Why can’t Serena do that? She's special and with a special people you never underestimate them because they can do things that normal people can't.

Should fans of Iga Swiatek be worried by her recent form?
No, fans should be honoured. It's so difficult to ask for more from Iga. She's been dealing with so much pressure during the clay court season, she's been winning everything and she ended up winning the biggest at Roland-Garros which was her biggest goal.

From then on, it was normal to have a little bit of a down of energy, psychologically, physically and then she's building up her game again on the hard courts. Of course, on clay there are less players that can hurt her game, because she's got more time, she's got so much power she can hurt them with a forehand and also her backhand, and she moves extremely well which on clay is very important.

But on hard courts, there are players that can attack her forehand a little bit more her forehand. Maybe they hit more winners into her that usually on clay, she is capable to put more balls on court. So there is no worry for Iga at all. It's just that it was not normal what she was doing during the spring time, that was almost impossible. I think it's very difficult to repeat, even if I think that she can have a long run again on clay in the coming season because she's very difficult to beat. Her game is a little less effective than on clay especially because there are more opponents who know how to play better on hard courts. So, there is no worry for her. It's just that it's just a little bit the normal situation for her to understand also that she's the best player in the world and she needs to deal with so much pressure. Iga can play well, maybe she can go and play unbelievable at the US Open and it won’t be any surprise because she is a very strong character and very professional. I'm expecting a good tournament from Iga.

Can you see any surprises this year?
I would be very surprised if we have another surprise like last year - a huge step and winning the tournament out of nowhere. I think the players that are playing well, they should be the ones being capable to win the tournament. The good thing is that many of the players feel like they can do it, which it opens up a little bit. If she played well in Montreal or Toronto, maybe I can do it too. Why can’t I do it? This is happening in the men's now. It's happened with Coric and players are thinking why can’t I do well too. At the same time, I would be very, very surprised if we have someone outside the top 30, top 40 winning the tournament in the men's and women's.

Alex Corretja will be working as an expert for Warner Bros. Discovery's coverage of the US Open, which starts on Monday 29 August. Watch the US Open LIVE across Europe (ex UK&Ire) on discovery+, Eurosport and Eurosport App.