US Open 2020: Novak Djokovic’s disqualification opens door for these five NextGen players

Current world number one and 17-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic saw a shocking exit from the US Open 2020. The Serbian was disqualified during his pre-quarters game against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta after hitting a linesperson official with a ball.

The cameras showed Novak Djokovic hitting (unintentionally) the ball straight to line judge, the she start coughing and grunting. The 33-year old rushed to aid her, followed by the chair umpire who went to assess the situation.

The commentators termed this entire incident as “peculiar and dramatic” while Novak walked out of the court. He was absolutely devastated as Djokovic was one of the prime contenders at this year’s US Open. Djokovic’s exit from the 2020 US Open means that the tournament will surely witness a new face lifting the trophy after quite some time now.

Here are the top 5 contenders who lead the race of lifting US Open 2020 title in the men’s singles category, after Novak Djokovic’s default.

1. Dominic Thiem

One name that holds the maximum potential of breaking the wall of the big three of tennis is the Austrian Dominic Thiem. The 27-year old has already appeared in three finals, losing twice at the French Open to Rafael Nadal and then, at the 2020 Australian Open to Novak Djokovic. Thiem currently holds the second spot in the world rankings, and he’ll look to back himself to claim his 17th career title.

2. Daniil Medvedev

The Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev is the current world number three in the men’s singles rankings. He is yet to play his round-0f-16 game which is scheduled against the USA’s Frances Tifafoe. He’s been on a great run during the past some months and even played the 2019 US Open finals against Rafael Nadal. He lost that hard-fought match 5–7, 3–6, 7–5, 6–4, 4–6, but will look to improve the result this time.

Also Read | “So Unintended, So Wrong” Novak Djokovic issues apology after hitting line judge

3. Alexander Zverev

Current 5th seed German tennis player, Alexander Zverev is another one of the main contenders for winning this year’s US Open. Zverev’s best Grand Slam performance came during the 2020 Australian Open where the German finished in the top four. Zverev also won the ATP Year-end Championship finals in 2018, beating Djokovic in the final. 

4. Pablo Carreno Busta

Spanish player Pablo Carreno Busta may feel quite lucky to make it to this list of contenders for 2020 US Open. Busta recorded his first career win against Djokovic at the fourth attempt, without even completing the game! Busta is now all set to play against a higher-ranked Denis Shapovalov in the quarter-finals round.  

5. Denis Shapovalov

Busta’s opposite player and ace Canadian player Denis Shapovalov is another contender for clinching the 2020 US Open title. He currently holds the 12th position in the world rankings and reached the final eight round after defeating the seventh seed David Goffin 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. This is the best career performance for Shapovalov and who knows that he might grab the trophy as well!

Also Read | US Open 2020: Djokovic exits, first Grand Slam quarterfinals without Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, since RG 2004