Novak Djokovic He played just eleven games in the first two rounds of the US Open, in the return of the triple champion (2011, 2015 and 2018) to New York after his withdrawal in 2022 because he could not get an exception to the then-current regulations of not allowing entry into the United States to foreigners who do not have a full vaccination schedule against covid.
His last experience at this Grand Slam was traumatic. He lost the 2021 final to the Russian Daniel Medvedev when he had the chance to make history by completing a Grand Slam in the same season. After succeeding in Australia, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, he lived through a discouraging summer, as before the US Open he was left without an Olympic medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games, delayed by a year due to the pandemic.
He returned with no added pressure. With another illusion of returning to this tournament, of winning the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 by returning from a ‘match’ ball in Carlos Alcaraz and in removing the world number one from the Spanish, where he only needed to pass a tie at Flushing Meadows.
He had a comfortable debut against the French Alexandre Müller (6-0, 6-2 and 6-3), the Spaniards also sent authority Barnabas Zapata (6-4, 6-1 and 6-1). This Friday he has an appointment, in the round of 16, with his fellow Serbian Laslo Djere, 28 years old and No. 38 ATP. An official record, on ground in Belgrade 2022: ‘Nole’ won 2-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4).
The draw heralds a positive outlook for Novak Djokovic heading into the long-awaited final, against the reigning champion. Carlos Alcarazbut it has cleared more in the first three days of the competition.
Three of the four top-10 in their bottom half of the draw fell, nine of the fifteen seeded teams. The hypothetical opponent in the quarterfinals, the Greek, lost his route Stefanos Tsitsipas, chased by the Swiss Dominic Stricker. His coach, Australian Mark Philippoussis, has already paid for it, spending a lot of time on this tour without his father and coach, Apostolos Tsitsipas.
Take that square in the draw, theoretically reserved for Hellene, the American Taylor Fritz (9)the first possible ‘top ten’ on their route and in whose section the Wimbledon revelation (Christopher Eubanks) and the talented but fickle Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
If the forecast against Djere comes true, in the round of 16 they will face the Croatian Borna Gojo or the czech Jiri Vesely. No sign of the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (15), that the crisis continues to deepen.
In the semifinals, ‘Nole’ avoided last year’s finalist, the Norwegian Casper Ruudknocked down by the Chinese Zhizhen Zhang, and the disappointing dane Holger Runewho informed the Spaniards Roberto Carballes.
The most logical opponent of Djokovicc will be american Frances Tiafoe, semifinalist defeated in the previous edition by Alcaraz. The winner of the third round clash between the Spaniards Alexander Davidovich and the american tommy paul he can apply to reach the penultimate round.
At the top, the most logical route of Alcaraz has hardly changed at the moment: Lloyd Harris, Daniel Evans (third), Cameron Norrie (eighth), Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev (fourth), Daniil Medvedev or Andrey Rublev (semifinals).
Source: La Verdad
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