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The stage is set for another epic showdown Novak Djokovik And carlos alcaraz But us open Which is starting from Monday.
The pair has thrilled tennis fans with two special matches this season wimbledon final And then most recently at the Cincinnati Open.
Djokovic described last Sunday’s win over Alcaraz in the final of the Cincinnati Open as “one of the toughest matches” of his career and said the three-set, nearly four-hour encounter will surely go down as one of tennis’s all-time greats. Will go.
Alcaraz and Djokovic, the world No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, played some ethereal tennis in Cincinnati as the sport’s growing rivalry in the absence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal continues to thrill fans.
In fact, it is almost impossible to see any US Open winners other than defending champions Alcaraz and Djokovic, with the pair being in a league of their own compared to the rest of the draw.
There is only a 20-point gap to Djokovic at the top of the world rankings, while Daniil Medvedev is at No. 3, down a whopping 3,500 points.
Men’s tennis has depended on the epic rivalry between Nadal, Federer and Djokovic for years and while it may be an overstatement to say that the emergence of Alcaraz has saved the game, the Spaniard’s rise has certainly made the transition to the next era quite clear. Made easy.
The 20-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable season in 2023, winning six titles including Wimbledon – her second Grand Slam – and two Masters 1000 events.
Following his impressive five-set win over Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, Alcaraz’s form briefly let him down after a crushing quarterfinal loss to Tommy Paul at the Canadian Open, but he bounced back brilliantly and played his best tennis of the season. Played. Final in Cincinnati.
Alcaraz enters the tournament as the top seed, and faces a potential quarterfinal rematch with Jannik Sinner, a year after their epic five-set classic in which Alcaraz set a record for the latest finish for a match at the US Open. Setting up and won at 2.50.
He is similar to third seed Medvedev, with whom he may face in the semi-finals.
“What Alcaraz has done last year is incredible,” seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe told Eurosport. ,[He’s] Best I have ever seen at this age.
“Novak is incredible how good he still is, it’s incredible to watch an all-time great play against a young superstar. I would love to see that match played again.
“The last few games have been close and incredible games, hopefully that continues.”
Djokovic’s victory over Alcaraz in Cincinnati was his fourth title of the year, which also includes wins at the Australian Open and the French Open, taking his Grand Slam tally to 23.
The Serb is in the United States for the first time since 2021 due to his undrafted status, but he made up for lost time by immediately getting back to winning ways in Cincinnati.
Djokovic will face Frenchman Alexander Muller in the first round and is in the same quarter as Stefanos Tsitsipas.
He is now 36 years old and is in the final stages of his career, but Djokovic is still able to consistently produce his best tennis performances, which means fans can look forward to many more matches between the two best players in the world. Can meet.
As the world number three and former US Open champion, Russia’s Medvedev is the favorite to pull off an upset at Flushing Meadows.
The 27-year-old player has faced extreme adversity in the first and second half of the season. Medvedev won five ATP Tour titles in the first five months of 2023, including two Masters 1000 tournaments and three consecutive tournament wins in the month of February.
However, his form has largely declined since his last title win against Holger Rune at the Rome Masters.
Shortly after that tournament, Medvedev suffered a crushing first round loss to Thiago Seboth Wild at the French Open and – apart from a career-best semi-final appearance at Wimbledon – he has not won more than two matches at any tournament since.
Medvedev is undoubtedly a US Open contender, but only if he can recapture his early season form.
Having reached the final in 2022, capper Ruud – who has now lost all three of his Grand Slam finals – has a lot to play for as he hopes to protect the ranking points he earned over the past year.
The world number five has also endured an up-and-down season, the peak of which came during a four-week period in May and June when he reached the semi-finals of the Rome Masters and then the final of the French Open.
Now with increasing experience in Grand Slam finals, perhaps the 2023 US Open will finally be the tournament when Ruud exorcizes his Grand Slam final demons.