Novak Djokovic is preparing to try and win a 24th Grand Slam title at the upcoming
US Open. Here is his possible path to victory.
23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic already has the most major titles out of any men's singles player, and another victory would see him equal Margaret Court's record for the most Slams won by any tennis player.
The Serbian player last lifted the trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and was unable to play at the major last year due to his unvaccinated status leading him to be barred from entering the country. However, he is back this year and is a strong favorite to take the title.
Djokovic could face Tsitsipas and Rune on way to Alcaraz clash
Djokovic will start his US Open run against world No. 85 Alexandre Muller. This match shouldn't be too difficult for the second seed to win easily, progressing through to the second round where he will most likely face Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
Following this, the 36-year-old could face Laslo Djere in the third round, before probably moving on to a fourth-round clash with either
Francisco Cerundolo or
Felix Auger-Aliassime. The latter beat Djokovic in their last encounter, but has had a tough season so far, meaning the world No. 2 is still likely to get through this round.
A fourth-round win would put Djokovic through to the quarter-finals where he will be likely to face either world No. 9
Taylor Fritz or world No. 7
Stefanos Tsitsipas. Both players are strong on the hard court, but the latter is the only one to have defeated Djokovic, albeit only twice across their 13 meetings.
If Djokovic gets through this, he will progress to a potential semi-final match against world No. 5
Casper Ruud or No. 4
Holger Rune. A match against either player will not be a walk in the park, as Ruud was runner-up at the New York major last year, and Rune has a 2-1 lead over Djokovic in their head-to-head.
However, if Djokovic makes the final, many are predicting he will face world No. 1
Carlos Alcaraz. The pair faced each other in the Wimbledon final last month, where the Spaniard emerged victorious after a five-set battle, breaking Djokovic's four-time victory streak at the All England Club.
However, the Big Three member got his revenge earlier this week at the Cincinnati Open when he defeated Alcaraz in a grueling three-hour-and-49-minute final.
Whatever the result, a final between Djokovic and Alcaraz at the US Open will no doubt be another one for the tennis history books.