After a marathon match between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday within the closing of the Western & Southern Open in Ohio, Djokovic mentioned he hoped to play Alcaraz once more on the U.S. Open “for the group.”
The group might get to see that rematch.
The lads’s and girls’s singles attracts for the U.S. Open, which begins on Monday in New York, revealed the trail for Djokovic and Alcaraz to satisfy once more within the closing, which might even be a rematch of final month’s Wimbledon closing, an exciting five-setter that Alcaraz received after practically 5 hours on the courtroom.
“Each match we play in opposition to one another goes the gap,” Djokovic mentioned after the ultimate on Sunday, including that the match felt like a Grand Slam.
Djokovic returns to New York after lacking the U.S. Open final yr as a result of he was unvaccinated in opposition to the coronavirus and journey restrictions wouldn’t enable him to enter the USA. Now, with an injured Rafael Nadal and a retired Roger Federer not in his manner, Djokovic will search his twenty fourth Grand Slam title and his third of the season after successful in Australia and France earlier this yr.
Djokovic, who will play Alexandre Muller of France within the first spherical of the match, is not going to have a simple path to the ultimate. He might probably face the No. 7 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece within the quarterfinals, and within the semifinals, Djokovic might play Holger Rune of Denmark or Casper Ruud, the Norwegian who reached final yr’s U.S. Open closing.
Alcaraz, who will face Dominik Koepfer of Germany within the first spherical, might additionally see some formidable opposition as he appears to defend his U.S. Open title. Alcaraz might play in opposition to Jannik Sinner of Italy within the quarterfinals, adopted by one among two Russians, both Andrey Rublev or Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion.
The ladies’s draw might additionally result in a number of rivalries and rematches. Iga Swiatek, the No. 1 ladies’s participant on this planet, might find yourself within the closing in opposition to Aryna Sabalenka, this yr’s Australian Open champion.
In defending her U.S. Open title, Swiatek might face Coco Gauff within the quarterfinals. Earlier than this month, Swiatek had received seven matches in opposition to Gauff, however the 19-year-old American lastly discovered a solution to defeat Swiatek this month within the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open. Gauff went on to win the match for her first WTA 1000 title.
On the opposite facet of the draw, Sabalenka might play a quarterfinal match in opposition to Ons Jabeur, the Tunisian No. 5 seed who reached the U.S. Open closing final yr and misplaced within the Wimbledon closing in July. Within the semis, Sabalenka might meet both Caroline Garcia of France or Jessica Pegula, the American No. 3 seed.
Whereas each attracts provide promising matchups, this yr’s match will miss some large names: An damage has stored Nadal sidelined because the Australian Open, with hopes to return subsequent yr. Naomi Osaka, a two-time U.S. Open champion, will miss the match after giving beginning to her daughter this summer season, and Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, is out as she recovers from three minor procedures.
Simona Halep, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, was withdrawn from the match due to a provisional suspension she acquired final yr after she examined constructive for a performance-enhancing drug throughout the 2022 U.S. Open.
This yr’s U.S. Open may also miss trick photographs from Nick Kyrgios, who withdrew from the match due to a wrist damage.
However regardless of the notable absences, the match will open with some robust first-round matches: Tsitsipas, who misplaced to Djokovic on this yr’s Australian Open closing, will begin off in opposition to Milos Raonic, a Wimbledon finalist in 2016. Venus Williams, the 43-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion, will play Paula Badosa, who received at Indian Wells in 2021. And Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, will play within the first spherical in opposition to Beatriz Haddad Maia, a Brazilian participant who has had an honest season, reaching the French Open semifinals this yr and the spherical of 16 at Wimbledon.