2013 U.S. Open preview

What: The year's last Grand Slam tennis tournament.

When: Play begins Monday. The women's singles final is Sunday, Sept. 8; the men's singles final is Monday, Sept. 9. According to the USTA, it's the first time since 1954 that the tournament is scheduled to end on a Monday.

Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Last year: Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 to become the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win a Grand Slam singles title. Serena Williams took the last four games to come back and edge Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 for her fourth U.S. Open title.

Prize money: Total payout to players is $34.3 million, with $2.6 million each to the men's and women's singles champions. Those are records for the tournament and increases of about 35 percent from 2012.

TV: CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, Tennis Channel

men's top seeds

1. Novak Djokovic, Serbia

2. Rafael Nadal, Spain

3. Andy Murray, Britain

4. David Ferrer, Spain

5. Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic

6. Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina

7. Roger Federer, Switzerland

8. Richard Gasquet, France

women's top seeds

1. Serena Williams, United States

2. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus

3. Maria Sharapova, Russia, withdrew

3. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland

4. Sara Errani, Italy

5. Li Na, China

6. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark

7. Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic

8. Angelique Kerber, Germany

story lines

Murray's first defense: For the first time, Andy Murray will be the defending champion at a Grand Slam tournament.

Rafa returns: Rafael Nadal missed last year's U.S. Open because of knee trouble. He's looked terrific lately and is back up to No. 2 in the rankings.

Williams tries for repeat: One thing missing from Serena Williams' résumé is a successful title defense at the U.S. Open.

Who is not here: Maria Sharapova surprisingly withdrew the day before the draw, leaving the field without a four-time Grand Slam champion.

Young American women: Sloane Stephens is hardly the only up-and-coming young American who could draw attention. Jamie Hampton and Madison Keys are worth watching, too.

associated press