World No. 2 Novak Djokovic will mark his long-awaited return to Flushing Meadows next week with yet another shot at adding to his superlative 23 Grand Slam titles. Quite surprisingly, the Serb has had a barren run in New York stretching to almost five years, with his latest triumph at the Big Apple coming in 2018.
Novak’s dominance at the Grand Slams this year was brought to a grinding halt by World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon. Not one to back away from a challenge, the 36-year-old exacted revenge against Alcaraz in the final of the Cincinnati Open last week to win a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 title.
Despite the Wimbledon setback, Djokovic has enjoyed a purple patch this year with a 38-5 win-loss record. The three-time US Open champion has won four titles so far, three of which came on hard courts at the Adelaide International, Australian Open, and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
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Seeded second this year, Novak will aim to surpass his performance from the 2021 edition of the tournament. During that event, his hopes for a Calendar Slam were shattered by Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Relatively easy path to the final for Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image Via Jaimi Joy/Reuters)
Seeking to end his long title drought in New York, the Serb has been granted a more favorable draw in his quest for a fourth US Open title.
The 36-year-old will commence his New York campaign with a first-round match against Frenchman Alexandre Müller, who is competing in his inaugural US Open main draw. In the second round, Novak will contend with either Spain’s BernabéZapata Miralles or 19-year-old American Ethan Quinn.
In the third round, Djokovic is likely to face either another American, Brandon Nakashima, or his compatriot, Laslo Djere. If the Serb progresses to the fourth round, he will compete against either World No. 15, Félix Auger-Aliassime, or Francisco Cerúndolo of Argentina.
Furthermore, if Novak were to once again make it to the quarterfinals of the US Open, he would likely encounter either World No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipasor American No. 1 Taylor Fritz. It is interesting to note that Djokovic maintains a perfect 7-0 win-loss record against Fritz and has also remained undefeated in his last 10 encounters with Tsitsipas.
The potential semifinal fixture for Djokovic could be against either World No. 5, Casper Ruud, or World No. 4, Holger Rune. Although the Serb remains undefeated against Ruud in all of their career meetings, his record against the other Scandinavian player, Holger Rune, stands at 1-2 in favor of the Dane.
If Novak advances to his ninth US Open final, he could potentially set up an enticing showdown against Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, or Jannik Sinner. The possibility of another epic clash between the world’s top two ranked players appears quite plausible. With the duo having split their previous two Grand Slam encounters this year, Arthur Ashe Stadium might just become the stage for a truly unforgettable Grand Slam Final, adding a thrilling chapter to tennis’ latest rivalry.
Arjun is a connoisseur of all things sports. He has been a tennis aficionado since 2004, and he also follows cricket, football, the NBA, and Formula 1.
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Arjun K
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