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US Open predictions: How will Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff do?

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How deep can Britain’s Jack Draper go at Flushing Meadows? Will Aryna Sabalenka win her first US Open title? Pundits, including Tim Henman and Laura Robson, preview final major of the year, which is live on Sky Sports from August 26 to September 8.

The Sky Sports Tennis experts have their say on who will come out on top at the US Open and which Brits could challenge.

Watch the tournament exclusively live on Sky Sports between August 26 and September 8.

Who will win the men’s event?

TIM HENMAN: I would put Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz down as the joint favourites. Just the fact that Djokovic has got that Olympic title, I think it might free him up even more to say ‘I really have achieved everything that I wanted to achieve’ and play with the ultimate freedom.

NAOMI BROADY: It’s tough to call but I think Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic are above the pack. The only other players you could add are Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, while Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud might have a chance because it’s more open than other years.

LAURA ROBSON: I’d probably go with Alcaraz but I don’t know. It’s between Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner. These are the real standouts for me.

GIGI SALMON: I think Novak Djokovic will successfully defend his title and move to 25 Grand Slam singles titles! Winning Olympic Gold released so much pressure and was the final major honour that was missing from the Djokovic CV and trophy cabinet.

He didn’t defend his Cincinnati title but it’s no longer about the No 1 ranking and the chasing of points, it’s all about Grand Slam titles and in particular the elusive 25, so as long as he didn’t do too much partying after his Olympic win, I think he will beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final to be crowned Champion.

JONATHAN OVEREND: The men’s is so hard to call. Djokovic is the defending champion, Alcaraz has won it before and you feel Sinner will win the US Open one day. Zverev is playing really well and you can never rule him out. It’s so hard to pick one name out of those four but, for me, there is certainly that little cluster that have separated themselves.

What about Emma Raducanu’s chances?

BROADY: I think when Emma’s on, she can beat anybody. She’s not going to be seeded and nobody will want to draw her early. She’s also got the experience.

How many people can say they’ve won the US Open? She knows what it feels like to be in the latter stages of the tournament and to pace herself over two weeks. She has that all to her advantage and is becoming steadier with her results. She’ll be wanting to make the second week.

SALMON: It’s tough to say as Emma Raducanu hasn’t played since Washington where she won a couple of matches losing to eventual winner Paula Badosa in the R16, after which she came home opting not to going through qualifying in Toronto and Cincinnati. As a former Champion it must be a special feeling returning to the scene of such joy, and possibly a little intimidating.

The draw hasn’t been kind, she faces former Australian Open Champion Sofia Kenin in the first round and then is set to face Toronto winner and Cincinnati finalist Jessica Pegula in round two. Raducanu at her best can blow most people off court, so it will be interesting to see how she fares under the intense spotlight that forever will follow her.

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Austin Butler praises Jodie Comer’s work ethic on The Bikeriders

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Austin Butler has praised Jodie Comer’s work ethic in The Bikeriders, a new Jeff Nichols film inspired by a woman caught up with the culture of a 1960s motorcycle club in Illinois.

The movie follows the story of Kathy (Comer), who is drawn to Benny (Butler) – the newest member of the Vandals led by Johnny (Tom Hardy).

As the club evolves from a gathering place into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny is forced to choose between Kathy and his club loyalty.

Butler said of his co-star: “I just have such a respect for her…. When you have a kind of a mutual love of what you do and care [about], we felt like we bonded very quickly.”

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Austin Butler reflects on Paul McCartney’s house party with Taylor Swift

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Austin Butler just shared the details of his wild night at Paul McCartney’s house party.

The star-studded affair was not only the most “insane” time Butler’s had in a while, but it was the most glamorous, being surrounded by his childhood icons and legendary music artists like Meryl Streep and Bruce Springsteen.

Butler, 32, reflected on the experience while speaking with Jimmy Kimmel, who was also lucky enough to be at the party. During the June 17 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the two gushed about having last seen each other at McCartney’s house.

“Last time I saw you was at maybe the craziest party I’ve ever been to in my whole life,” Kimmel, 56, admitted before Butler agreed: “That was insane.”

Kimmel noted: “It was like a party where Tom Hanks is going: ‘Oh my God, can you believe who’s here?!’”

Emblem rockers like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ringo Starr graced McCartney’s home, leaving Hollywood’s elite to mingle with music royalty, the pair said. Even Taylor Swift was there, according to Butler and Kimmel.

The Elvisstar said the “Anti-Hero” singer wasn’t a normal guest, she was the DJ. “Yeah, she was DJing at one point,” Butler told Kimmel, who then quipped about how Swift isn’t booked and busy enough, she must oversee the music for McCartney’s party, too.

While Swift’s appearance may have been cause for celebration among some of the other guests, Butler confessed a different idol sent him into complete awe. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Meryl Streep in the same room as him.

“She’s just the greatest. I felt like, you know in high school when you have a crush on somebody and they’re across the room and you don’t really know how to say hello to them?” he said. “That’s how it was. I saw her there and I couldn’t believe I was in the same room.”

Too star-struck to approach the It’s Complicatedlead himself, Butler headed into McCartney’s kitchen to bide his time and eat some vegan pizza. Thankfully, his friend offered to introduce him and Streep.

“I couldn’t believe I was meeting Meryl Streep with Paul McCartney’s vegan pizza in my mouth,” Butler confessed.

He was then pulled into a circle of people he couldn’t pass the opportunity to spend time with. Butler was invited to “have tacos with Snoop Dogg and Robert De Niro.”

“I dropped everything I was doing and I was there in a heartbeat,” he told Kimmel.

Another crazy conversation Butler had was with Bruce Springsteen. The 74-year-old recounted a time when he was fearless, hopping the fence at Graceland to sing Elvis Presley a song.

Butler had heard rumors that Springsteen had done that but wasn’t sure it was true until he confirmed. Of course, Presley wasn’t there when Springsteen approached his front door.

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Austin Butler says Bruce Springsteen once tried and failed to bring a song to Elvis Presley

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Austin Butler has recalled the epic story of Bruce Springsteen hopping the gates at Graceland to try and deliver Elvis Presley a song he had written.

The 32-year-old actor, who starred as Presley in the 2022 Oscar-nominated biopic Elvis, shared the “mythical story” during an appearance on Monday (June 17) night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Recounting a recent star-studded party that they had both attended, Kimmel said: “I got to watch Bruce Springsteen tell you a story about Elvis. Do you remember the story?”

“I had heard this sort of mythical story,” Butler responded, “and then to hear from him of him being a huge Elvis fan and then hopping the gates at Graceland to try and get up there and he knocked on the door and he wanted to give Elvis a song to sing.”

“Do you remember what he said to the guy? ‘Is Elvis home?’” Kimmel laughed, with Butler continuing: “And he said, ‘No, he’s in Tahoe,’ or something.”

“And this is when Bruce Springsteen, by the way, had been on the cover of Time magazine, on the cover of Rolling Stone,” Kimmel said incredulously. “I mean, he was not like some unknown kid from New Jersey. He was famous, jumped over the fence…”

“Somehow evaded the dogs,” Butler added. “He’s a fast runner.”

Kimmel remembered: “And he gave the guy a song he had written for Elvis and then Elvis never – I don’t know. Nothing happened. He didn’t record the song.”

“I’m so bummed I never got to hear that song,” Butler said.

Austin Butler retold a story of Bruce Springsteen wanting to give Elvis Presley a song to sing

Austin Butler retold a story of Bruce Springsteen wanting to give Elvis Presley a song to sing (Getty Images)

Butler’s performance as the King of Rock and Roll in the Baz Luhrmann-directed Elvis earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

He’s since been booked and busy, starring in back-to-back projects, including Dune: Part Two, which was released in March, and the Apple TV+ miniseries Masters of the Air.

The latter tells the journey of a group of 10 men who fly an aluminum bomber, called the “Flying Fortress,” to battle German forces in WWII.

“It’s hard to resist the pulse-quickening action of this epic Second World War tale,” Nick Hilton wrote in a four-star review for The Independent.

“The Bloody Hundredth, staffed by men scarcely into adulthood, might be a glamorous bunch, but they are also losing their innocence. Playing out on a canvas in the skies, this is daring, big-budget filmmaking that just about sticks the landing.”

Butler currently stars in Jeff Nichols’s new crime thriller, The Bikeriders, alongside Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy.

The movie follows a Midwestern motorcycle club through the course of a decade as they evolve from a gathering place for local outsiders to a sinister gang.

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