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Djokovic and Alcaraz poised for US Open collision

Djokovic will reclaim the world number one ranking with a victory over Alexandre Muller on Monday, regardless of how Alcaraz performs in the tournament

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are on a US Open collision course as the final Grand Slam tournament of season gets under way on Monday.

A little more than six weeks after world number one Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in an enthralling finale to the Wimbledon championships, the two men could meet again at Flushing Meadows if the seedings go to play over the next fortnight.

Djokovic and Alcaraz whetted the tennis world's appetite for another blockbuster showdown at the Cincinnati Open last week, with 23-time Grand Slam singles winner Djokovic downing the 20-year-old Spaniard in a four-hour classic.

Djokovic, 36, is making a long-awaited return to the US Open this year after his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19 meant he was unable to gain entry to the United States.

In Djokovic's absence at last year's tournament, Alcaraz announced his arrival on the world stage with a brilliant run to his first US Open crown.

Second seed Djokovic, who opens his campaign on the Arthur Ashe main arena against France's Alexandre Muller on Monday, says Alcaraz's relentless, swashbuckling style is reminiscent of Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion who misses this year's US Open due to injury.

"Each point is a hustle. Each point is a battle. You feel like you're not going to get maybe in total five free points in the entire match," Djokovic said of Alcaraz.

"You've got to basically earn every single point, every single shot, regardless of the conditions."

Alcaraz, who faces Germany's Dominik Koepfer in the first round on Tuesday, said he is flattered by the Nadal comparison.

"It's great that he knows that every time he's going to play against me, it reminds him playing against Rafa or against the best ones because that means we are in a good path," he said.

Djokovic will reclaim the world number one ranking with a victory over Muller on Monday, regardless of how Alcaraz performs in the tournament.

The Spaniard, meanwhile, must navigate a tricky route to the final that could include 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Italy's Jannik Sinner.

Frances Tiafoe, the 25-year-old American who reached the U.S. Open semifinals in 2022 and recently made his Top 10 debut in the ATP rankings, assessed the men's game saying: “The game is in a little different place. A little different dynamic. I'm happy to be in this era, for sure.” The sport's leaders believe there are players who will step forward.

“For those of you who have long wondered about the future of tennis as we transition out of a golden age where you have had some of the best men and women of all-time competing against each other simultaneously,” said Lew Sheer, the CEO and executive director of the U.S. Tennis Association, the national federation that runs the U.S. Open, “we saw 2022 as a year of emerging stars.”

Perhaps. It's true there were 10 first-time Masters 1000 champions on the men's side over the past three seasons, a group that includes Alcaraz, of course, but also another 20-year-old, Holger Rune, and Jannik Sinner, 22.

“We're starting to see new faces at the Grand Slams and Masters. It's kind of the last step to dethrone players like Djokovic and Nadal — and it's coming,” said Felix Auger-Aliassime, a 23-year-old Canadian who was a U.S. Open semifinalist two years ago.

“Carlos probably is beginning a bit of a switch of the guard. But Djokovic probably hasn't said his last word.” That certainly appeared to be Djokovic's message in Cincinnati, where he ripped off his shirt and roared after finally dispatching Alcaraz.