Novak Djokovic arrives at the US Open in search of his 25th Grand Slam title and his 5th in the last Major of the year, which would equal Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer as the top winners in the history of the tournament in the Open Era. He lands in New York with full confidence after winning the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the only achievement missing from his never-ending list of achievements.
As number two seed, he will have a good draw until the final. In the first round he will face a player from the qualifying round. In the second round, the winner of the match between Jan-Lennard Struff and his compatriot Laslo Djere. The German could be a tough nut to crack but should not pose major problems for the Serb.
In third, the surprising winner of the Canadian Open, Alexei Popyrin is a serious candidate to be his opponent. In fourth, everything indicates that he will face one of the best local players in the men's draw, Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe. In the quarterfinals, the first Top 10 opponents would arrive if they do the job before, such as Andrey Rublev or Grigor Dimitrov.
In the semis he would face Alexander Zverev, always favorite in Grand Slam tournaments but who has never managed to win one so far. Other options would be Casper Ruud, finalist in 2022, or Holger Rune, who has not yet reached the penultimate round of a Major in his career but has just reached the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open.
Djokovic has been fortunate enough to avoid the top contenders to lift the trophy besides himself until the final. We'll see who comes out of the other side of the draw between Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev but one of those three could and should be the Serb's opponent in the title match if he gets there.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC'S ROAD TO THE US OPEN 2024
First Round - Qualifier
Second Round - Struff or Djere
Third Round - Popyrin
Fourth Round - Shelton or Tiafoe
Quarterfinals - Rublev or Dimitrov
Semis - Zverev, Rune or Ruud
Final - Alcaraz, Sinner or Medvedev
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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