What are the main talking points? Who are the defending champions and favourites? Al Jazeera explains.

The world’s top tennis athletes will look to get their hands on the year’s last Grand Slam trophy when the US Open 2024 gets under way in New York on Monday.

Novak Djokovic will aim to extend his lead in men’s all-time singles Grand Slam title wins to 25 when he defends his title, while home favourite Coco Gauff will look to shake off a poor run of form in major tournaments and keep the women’s singles crown she won in 2023.

The tournament will begin under the shadow of the latest doping scandal in the game as men’s top seed Jannik Sinner has been cleared to play despite failing two doping tests in recent weeks, causing a stir among fellow players with Djokovic questioning the “lack of standardised protocols” in tennis.

Al Jazeera breaks down all the major talking points and numbers ahead of the opening round of matches:

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