Competing consecutively in New York City presents significant challenges. However, the 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic has consistently demonstrated the ability to rise to the occasion, undeterred by the pressures of historical significance on prominent stages.
During this fortnight, the Serbian athlete aims to be the first man to successfully defend his US Open title since Roger Federer’s five consecutive victories from 2004 to 2008. Novak Djokovic, who has not participated in any competitions since securing a gold medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this month, is set to compete as the second seed, positioned behind World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in New York.
“I still have the competitive spirit. I still want to make more history and enjoy myself on the Tour,” said Djokovic in New York. “I still hope to inspire many young people to watch tennis, play tennis. Those are some of the reasons why I still keep on going.”
Carlos Alcaraz is highly experienced in elevating his performance at major tournaments. He will compete for his third consecutive Grand Slam title in New York, following his victories at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Earlier this month, Alcaraz faced his only hard-court loss since March in Cincinnati; however, he remains confident and focused as he approaches his second title pursuit at Flushing Meadows.
“[Entering] Roland Garros, I [didn’t have] too [many] matches on clay, and it was a pretty good result. And then at Wimbledon, same thing,” Djokovic added. “I don’t want to think that it’s going to be the same [as] the previous two Grand Slams, but I’m not worried about not having too many matches on hard courts.”
Defending champion Novak Djokovic is positioned alongside a group of prominent American players, including Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Frances Tiafoe, in the bottom half of the draw for the 2024 US Open.
In his first tournament following his gold medal victory at the Paris Olympics, Djokovic is seeded to potentially face recent ATP Masters 1000 champion Alexei Popyrin in the third round. He may encounter either the 13th-seeded Shelton or the 20th-seeded Tiafoe in the fourth round.
Photo/NovakDjokovic/X
ATP contributed to this coverage
One thought