The poster could be tricky for the tennis legend, crowned six times at Flushing Meadows, facing a player who spent two rounds at the Australian Open this season - beating the winner of the last US Open, the Briton Emma Raducanu - and at Roland-Garros, where world No.1 Iga Swiatek blocked her way.
Especially since his return this summer, after almost a year of absence due to a leg injury, was hardly convincing.
At the end of June, at Wimbledon, she was beaten from the start by the Frenchwoman Harmony Tan.
Six weeks later, just after announcing that the countdown to her retirement had begun, she was knocked out in the second round in Toronto by Switzerland's Belinda Bencic.
And in the process, she took the door on the first lap in Cincinnati, swept away by Raducanu.
So much so that she has little chance of achieving the feat of winning a historic 24th Major title, which would equal Margaret Court's record, where it all started for her in 1999 when she won the Grand Slam for the first time, at 17 years old.
If Williams, down to 410th place, passes her first lap, she could immediately cross paths with Estonian Anett Kontaveit, 2nd player in the world.
In the other part of the table, Iga Swiatek will have a piano start against the Italian Jasmine Paolini (57th).
Emma Raducanu (11th) will start her title defense against the French Alizé Cornet (37th).
On the men's side, Rafael Nadal, in search of a 23rd Major, which would be his third in 2022 after the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, and the world No.1 and defending champion Daniil Medvedev could meet you in the semi-finals, because in the same part of the table.
A big program awaits the Spaniard, who will be opposed in the first round to a player from the qualifications to be determined, before possibly crossing the Argentinian Diego Schwartzman, the Briton Cameron Norrie and his compatriot, the phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz.
© 2022 AFP