Novak Djokovic handed tricky draw in pursuit of 3rd French Open Title, might face Carlos Alacaraz in semis
Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, both doing extremely well on the clay would be potential opponents for Djokovic.
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Novak Djokovic (Image via The New York Times)
In any tournament that Novak Djokovic enters, he is just one of the favorites already. His 2023 season though has been slightly unusual. A perfect 10 at the Australian Open has been high. However, apart from that, it’s not been a Djokovic kind of season. With regular pull puts, he has fallen from no. 1 to no. 3. Also, the Serb’s clay season has been a shocker. He failed to make it to any semi-final out of the three events he played on clay.
Now, Novak Djokovic enters the French Open on the back of a whacky clay period. The Madrid pull-out also means the Serb is not at his physical best. He played Rome however, and a lot of improvement was on the cards. The Serb though will have mixed emotions as he has been blessed with a relatively tricky draw. His first hurdle will be the semi-finals.
The initial easy games might just give Djokovic the much-needed momentum.
A Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz clash awaits in the semi-final
The Serb would begin his Paris campaign playing no. 113 Aleksandar Kovacevic. The American has struggled to make it to the main draw most times and will be an easy pushover. The second-round clash could be either Marton Fuscovics or Hugo Grenier. Both players are not that well off in 2023 and this it will hardly be a hurdle for the Serb. The third round might just be slightly tricky. Facing Davidovich Fokina on clay can be a tough one for the former World No.1.
However, one can back Djokovic big time in such grand events. The other potential third-round clash could be Marco Cecchinato. That wouldn’t worry Djokovic. As expected, the draw picks up speed in the 4th round. Hubert Hurkacz, Roberto Bautista Agut, and David Goffin are the potential round 4 clashes for Djokovic. All three have found it tough to get off the blocks on the clay though. A Russian clash awaits the Serb in the Quarter Final. Andrey Rublev or Karen Khachanov is in line for it. Both have done decently well on the dirt. However, Rublev will be high on confidence opponent as he won the Monte Carlo Masters in April.
The drainer comes in the Semifinal for the Serb. Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, both doing extremely well on the clay would be potential opponents for Novak Djokovic. The former has been in the form of his life. The Semi-final will be a struggle but if Djokovic passes that, he has three potential finalists waiting for him. Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Holger Rune. It’s going to be about given the last bit you have left in the tank. Any of the three could challenge Djokovic for the trophy and it is certainly far from a pushover. Djokovic’s advantage is that with easier initial matches, the Serb can get his body moving through the course of those.
Novak Djokovic’s potential path to his 3rd French Open Title
- Round 1 – Aleksandar Kovacevic
- Round 2 – Marton Fucsovics/Hugo Grenier
- Round 3 – Davidovich Fokina/ Marco Cecchinato
- Round 4 – Hubert Hurkacz/Roberto Bautista Agut/ David Goffin
- Quarter-Finals – Andrey Rublev/ Karen Khachanov
- Semi-Finals – Carlos Alcaraz/StefanosTsitsipas
- Final – Daniil Medvedev/Casper Ruud/Holger Rune
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Manan Mehta
(215 Articles Published)