Rafael Nadal, a two-time US Open champion has been plagued by a wrist injury that caused him to withdraw from the French Open which left the Spaniard in tears. He returned to competitive tennis at the Rio Olympics and left with a gold medal in the doubles.
The 30-year-old may not be at his best anymore, but he is certainly a threat in New York and is one of the contenders to challenge fellow two-time champion Novak Djokovic and 2012 champion Andy Murray for the title.
Notable results to date
The former world number one has won two titles to date in 2016 and both of them were on his favoured clay court surface.
Nadal began his preparations for the first Grand Slam tournament of the year at the Australian Open, which the Spaniard has won once in his career back in 2009. Nadal competed at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open which he won in 2014 before losing to Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open final that year.
The nine-time French Open champion lost to Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final. More misery followed for Nadal as he lost in the first round of the Australian Open to compatriot, Fernando Verdasco.
It was Nadal's second loss in the first round of a Grand Slam following his shock defeat to Steve Darcis at Wimbledon in 2013.
Following two semifinal defeats during the clay court Golden Swing, Nadal returned to hard courts at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells where he is a former three-time champion. However, he lost to eventual champion and rival Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in straight sets.
The 30-year-old competed at the Miami Open following his semifinal defeat to Djokovic, and the former four-time finalist lost to Damir Dzumhur in his second round match. The Spaniard, unfortunately, developed a fever during the match and was forced to retire in the final set.
Nadal finally transitioned back to clay courts and this time he had more success on European clay courts as he won his ninth title at the Masters 1,000 event at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters which was his 28th Masters 1,000 title that leaves him behind Djokovic who has 30.
The world number five recorded good victories over two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in a three set tussle in the semifinals and Gael Monfils in three sets in the final.
Nadal then went on to win his ninth title in Barcelona by dethroning two-time defending champion Kei Nishikori in the final and he did not drop a set throughout his title triumph.
The good run of form by Nadal continued into the Mutua Madrid Open but he lost to Murray in straight sets for the second consecutive year in the Spanish capital, followed by a quarterfinal defeat in Rome to Djokovic in two tight sets.
Unfortunately, for the 14-time Grand Slam champion he entered the French Open looking for his record-breaking tenth triumph in Paris, but he was suffering from a career-threatening wrist injury that forced him to pull out following his second round match.
Best hard court results leading up to US Open
There was speculation that Nadal hadn't fully recovered from the wrist injury and he was only going to compete in the doubles event at the Rio Olympics. Those claims were false and Nadal returned to competition for the first time in two and a half months to play at the Olympics.
The 2008 Olympic gold medalist finished in fourth place as he lost in the semifinals to 2012 bronze medalist and 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in a three set battle, and he lost to 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori in the bronze medal match.
However, there was joy for Nadal as he claimed his second Olympic gold medal in the doubles event with his compatriot and good friend Marc Lopez.
Following an exhausting Olympics campaign, Nadal travelled to the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati where he won the title in 2013 but suffered a third round exit at the hands of Borna Coric.
Best US Open result
The French Open is obviously Nadal's most successful Grand Slam tournament, on the other hand, along with Wimbledon he has reigned supreme twice at Flushing Meadows winning the title in 2010 and 2013 and was a finalist in 2011.
In 2010, Nadal's route to the title was straightforward as the top seed, and he dropped one set throughout his title run.
Nadal didn't drop a set in his first six matches by defeating Teymuraz Gabashvili, Denis Istomin, Gilles Simon and compatriot Feliciano Lopez, another compatriot in Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals and Mikhail Youzhny in the semifinals.
In the final, Nadal defeated Djokovic in four sets to clinch his first US Open title, completed his Career Grand Slam and became the first man to win three Grand Slam tournaments in a Calendar Year on three different surfaces, and the first man since Rod Laver to win the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in the same year.
Nadal's second triumph in 2013 was as the second seed and the Spaniard was enjoying a remarkable comeback season in 2013 as he was suffering from knee tendonitis at Wimbledon the year prior.
The two-time US Open champion secured three consecutive straight sets victories in his opening three rounds and he defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in the fourth round in four sets.
Nadal was due to face his eternal rival and 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. His compatriot, Tommy Robredo, ousted Federer in the fourth round, and Nadal thrashed his compatriot in three sets.
In the semifinals, Nadal recorded another straight sets win over Richard Gasquet and a rematch in the 2010 and 2011 US Open final, the Spaniard squared off against Novak Djokovic. Nadal defeated the Serb in four sets to win his 13th Grand Slam singles title in the process.
How Nadal's game translates to the surface
The left-hander has a blistering forehand that works on hard courts and he likes to be aggressive by dictating points on the baseline and he is very fast around the court.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion is a good defender and he is able to soak up the pressure from opponents trying to attack him, and when they come to the net, Nadal is known for his trademark running forehand down the line shot.
The Spaniard employs a drop shot on the court which works well because of the heavy topspin on his shots and it forces his opponents to run onto the court from the baseline.
However, over the past couple of seasons, the Spaniard has struggled and players who he would beat on a consistent basis have been able to trouble him and sometimes he has been leaving the ball short which allows players to attack him.
Nadal never gives up and he will believe that he has a chance to win the US Open for the third time in his career which will be his 15th Grand Slam singles title if he is able to overcome the field.