The 2026 US Open welcomed back a handful of legends to New York City.
Roger Federer made his first on-court appearance since his final match in Flushing Meadows—a five-set loss to Grigor Dimitrov in the 2019 quarterfinals. The five-time champ (and contender for the GOAT crown) played an exhibition set during US Open Fan Week against longtime rival Andy Roddick, partnered with John McEnroe to face Andre Agassi and Roddick in a doubles exhibition, and received his official International Tennis Hall of Fame ring during a ceremony at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A few hours earlier on Ashe, defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz played his first match since April after missing over four months with a wrist injury. And though he’s looked a bit rusty, he’s still the favorite to win the men’s event.
Alcaraz’s mixed doubles partner during US Open Fan Week was none other than the undisputed GOAT of women’s tennis, Serena Williams. The 23-time major singles champ returned to the tour this summer after “evolving away from tennis” in 2022. (She never called it a retirement!) A knee injury sidelined her after Wimbledon but she teamed with Alcaraz, and then with her sister Venus Williams in the Women’s Doubles event. Though she lost in the first round in both events, Arthur Ashe was electric during Williams’ matches.
Now, as the tournament heads into its second week, the draw is taking shape and storylines have formed. Like most sports, tennis is more fun when there is a clear rooting interest in each match, which is why we’re eliminating the shades of gray (except in one case) and breaking down the players into heroes and villains like pro wrestling.
These are the Heels and Babyfaces of the 2026 US Open.
Shop New Arrivals on Complex.
Heels
Alexander Zverev
The biggest villain in the sport is straight out of central casting: a 6 foot 6 blond German with a man bun. Zverev finally shed the title of Greatest Male Player to Never Win a Major when he captured the French Open in June but he navigated the tournament without playing a Top 10 player. The draw opened up for him once again in New York, though he was pushed to five sets in the first two rounds. Zverev is not an aesthetically pleasing player. He rarely gives his opponents rhythm in rallies and is historically maddeningly passive in big moments. But that’s not the main reason he lands in this column. Zverev has faced domestic abuse allegations from two former partners, which he has denied.
Aryna Sabalenka
The two-time defending US Open champ (and part-time Instagram influencer) is a polarizing force on the women’s tour. She’s a big hitter known for her powerful groundstrokes, her serve, and her competitiveness. But she’s also courted controversy, mostly due to her combativeness with opponents and with the press, and also for her ineloquent early responses to questions about the war in Ukraine; Sabalenka is a native of Belarus, one of the few nations whose government supports Russia’s invasion. Saba’s most heelish moment though occurred following her loss to Coco Gauff in the 2025 French Open final where she failed to give Gauff credit for the win afterwards and blamed her loss on the windy conditions.
Influencers
The USTA’s decision to accredit influencers at the 2026 US Open (approximately 100 content creators were accredited, up from 54 in 2005) has been an unwelcome distraction from the appeal of the tournament, which is, ya’ know, the tennis. Chair umpire Kader Nouni briefly halted play during Naomi Osaka’s first round match after an influencer’s blinding ring light distracted the players and then had to scold a larger group of content creators for staging a loud photo shoot during the match.
Nick Kyrgios
The Australian has played around ten singles matches since the start of the 2023 season and is now ranked 918 in the world but is still one of the sport’s biggest names. One of the most talented players to ever pick up a racquet but also one of its greatest underachievers, Kyrgios’ reputation took another dent last month on the eve of the US Open when he was suspended after testing positive for cocaine. Though his one-month suspension ended on September 4, it’s uncertain when or if Kyrgios will return as he has struggled with wrist and knee injuries since his run to the US Open quarterfinals in 2022. Kyrgios is one of the most controversial figures on tour, having admitted to assaulting a former partner (he avoided a criminal conviction) and for making statements that have been considered misogynistic.
Babyfaces
Roger Federer
During US Open Fan Week, Fed returned to the scene of where he won five consecutive titles from 2004 to 2008 to hit a few more one-handed backhands and accept his International Tennis Hall of Fame ring. A fan favorite across the globe, Federer was particularly beloved in New York for his gorgeous brand of tennis but it’s also where he became a fashion icon. Who can forget his Darth Federer kit in 2007 or the time he wore his Nike collaboration with Michael Jordan inspired by the Jordan 3’s, while MJ looked on from his players’s box.
Coco Gauff
The 22 year-old American and 2023 US Open champ is the closest thing tennis has to a classic white meat babyface (think Ricky Steamboat or “Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect” John Cena). Easy to root for, Gauff always says the right thing at the right time and is also one of the smartest and hardest working players on tour.
Carlos Alcaraz
With world No. 1 Jannik Sinner out with a knee injury and Novak Djokovic suffering a shocking defeat on the tournament’s opening night, it was up to Carlos Alcaraz to lend some star power to the men’s draw. The most exciting man on tour was questionable to play in Flushing Meadows due to a wrist injury but appeared healthy through the early rounds. Alcaraz is now the tournament’s best hope to block Zverev’s second slam of the season.
Naomi Osaka
The two-time champ's early round form was a bit scratchy but she can claim to have served the most memorable fit of the tournament with her Allen Iverson inspired Nike kit—even though AI is Team Reebok for life.
Tweeners
Daniil Medvedev|
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champ and a finalist in 2019 and 2023, has exhibited plenty of heelish antics in Flushing Meadows, from taunting the crowd throughout the 2019 event to his on-court meltdown during his first round loss in 2025. But he plays a unique, stylish brand of tennis and is the world No. 1 when it comes to interviews. After Meddy’s first round win last week, he was asked on court, If the US Open was a movie, would he be the hero or the villain?
“It’s super easy,” Medvedev said. “The film is, what, two hours? You know this type of movie where you don’t really know what the ending is and you try to guess who the bad guy is? I want to be the guy who, when you watch the movie, you think almost until the end that ‘He’s the bad guy. He’s not good.’
“Then at the last second of the movie, you understand that he was the best guy ever and there was some other guy who was the villain.”
