MASON, OHIO – AUGUST 20: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia pose with their trophies after the final of the Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 20, 2023 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic were drawn to meet in the U.S. Open semifinals when the draw was made on Thursday.
No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner would avoid both men until the final and was drawn to meet No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the semifinal in the top half of the draw.
The projected quarterfinal matchups by seed include No. 1 Sinner facing No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 3 Zverev meeting No. 8 Alex de Minaur in the top half of the draw, and No. 4 Taylor Fritz facing No. 7 Djokovic and No. 2 Alcaraz squaring off with No. 6 Ben Shelton in the bottom half:
Both Alcaraz, the 2022 U.S. Open champ, and Djokovic, who is bidding for a record 25th major, face tricky first-round opponents.
Djokovic faces Learner Tien, the American ranked No. 48 in the world, while Alcaraz meets huge-serving American Reilly Opelka, ranked No. 66.
Alcaraz’s draw is tricky beyond Opelka, as he could face former U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round, potentially No. 6 Shelton in the quarters, No. 4 Fritz or No. 7 Djokovic in the semis and No. 1 Sinner in the final.
Djokovic could potentially have to beat No. 4 Fritz, No. 2 Alcaraz and No. 1 Sinner to win a 25th major.
“I think Novak definitely needs some help,” ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe said on a conference call. “The bigger question we may be asking ourselves by the time this tournament is done is will he come back, will he be back? I have my doubts. I don’t think he knows. I don’t have any inside information. I don’t think he knows.
“What I do know is he’s not going to continue to play if he doesn’t think he can win. I think time’s running out for him to win. As Mary Joe said, he’s been the third best player in the Majors this year. It’s the gap between 1, 2 and then 3 that’s pretty big.”
Sinner, who is coming off a virus that caused him to retire against Alcaraz in the Cincinnati Open final, appears to have a good draw leading up to yet another Grand Slam final with the Spaniard on Sept. 7
“Sinner is the favorite but he’s not a huge favorite with what Alcaraz can do in the big tournaments and head-to-head against him,” McEnroe said. “Those two are significant favorites. The good news for Sinner is that it’s not an injury. He’ll get over the illness in a couple of days.”
Meantime, an American man hasn’t won a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open. Fritz is the reigning runner-up, while Shelton is coming off winning his first Masters 1000 title in Canada. Frances Tiafoe reached the semis in New York a year ago.
“I’m going out on a limb right now,” McEnroe said. “There will be an American winning the US Open this year on the men’s side. I’m not going to say which one. There’s a couple of guys that have a chance.”