Citi Open 2022 – Who is playing? Where are the draws? What are the key storylines? Five things you need to know…

The North American hard court swing will kick into high gear next week at the Citi Open. Here’s what we’ll be watching…

Venus Williams Zuma / Panoramic

July 30, 2022

The summer clay swing is finally coming to a close and attention will shift to the hard courts of North America next week, where the Citi Open (Washington, D.C.), Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic (San Jose) and Abierto de Tenis Mifel (Los Cabos) will take place.

Here, we’ll focus on the Citi Open, which is the only joint WTA / ATP event next week, with a 500-level men’s draw and a 250-level women’s draw. Here are some talking points…

See the Citi Open Draws here … MEN’S | WOMEN’S

The WTA draw is LOADED

The men’s draw is bigger and it is a 500-level event, but make sure you make time for the women’s event in D.C. because this year’s draw is packed with star power. There are six former Grand Slam champions – Emma Raducanu, Victoria Azarenka, Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Simona Halep and Sofia Kenin – in the draw, thanks to wild cards being handed out to 42-year-old Venus Williams and former world No 4 Sofia Kenin.

Additionally there is Jessica Pegula, the 28-year-old world No 7, who is a former champ at the Citi Open and in the midst of a career year, as the top seed. Additionally, Clara Tauson, Marie Bouzkova, Daria Saville and Ajla Tomljanovic round out this packed draw nicely.

Too many 🌟 to handle 🔥

The best of the @WTA are gearing up for #CitiOpen action 👊 pic.twitter.com/LUlpo8QJiU
— Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) July 29, 2022

Murray continues his quest for US Open seed

Current world No 50 Andy Murray wants to rise into the top-30 of the ATP rankings, so he can get seeded at the US Open. He doesn’t have much time so he’ll need to get to work in D.C., where he faces Sweden’s Mikael Ymer in the first round. Murray last played at Newport where he reached the quarter-finals before falling to Alexander Bublik.

Kyrgios back in the hunt?

Nick Kyrgios had to pull out of Atlanta due to a knee injury, but he did play doubles. At the Citi Open, the 2019 champion will look to kick off his North American hard court swing in style, as he faces American Marcos Giron in the first round. The world No 47 has not played singles since reaching the Wimbledon final. He owns a 21-7 record on the season and would face Tommy Paul, the No.14 seed, if he gets past Giron.

Kyrgios is playing with house money after breaking through to reach the Wimbledon final in July. Will he still be motivated, and will he stay healthy? If so, he should be a big factor during the US Open Series.

Emma’s new coach

British No 1 Emma Raducanu will begin a new journey with Dmitry Tursunov, the Russian coach who guided Aryna Sabalenka and Anett Kontaveit so effectively over the last several seasons, as she takes the hard courts in D.C. The world No 10 is just 9-12 on the season, and she has lost in the second round of all three Grand Slams she has played since winning the 2021 US Open.

Will Tursunov help her unlock some elements of her game, or will the carousel continue into the foreseeable future for the talented Raducanu?

Shapovalov looking for some positivity

Many players who have had a disappointing 2022 season will look to find momentum in D.C. Front and centre is Denis Shapovalov, the 21st-ranked Canadian who has lost six of his last seven matches through Wimbledon. It has been a tricky season for Shapovalov, who parted ways with coach Mikhail Youzhny, then hired Jamie Delgado and quickly parted ways with him.

It’s no wonder that he’s not at his best, but we all know the talented 23-year-old has the talent to be a force on any surface, and especially hard courts.