The expected dilemma of men's US Open - Djokovic or Alcaraz?

The era of the tennis' big three is over. Roger Federer is retired, Rafa Nadal announced it for 2024. All that remains is Novak Djokovic, who in the next few years, we hope, will continue to annoy the 'new wave', to rob them of the Grand Slam titles... After all, the representatives of the new generation have been eaten by the Serb, the Spaniard and the Swiss (read: more about the first two, and mostly a Serb), and then last season a bloodthirsty and scalp-hungry kid from Murcia appeared and "stole" a little bit of tennis and mental skills from all three, turning them into an authentic product, a kind of weapon of mass domination and destruction. Instead of calling him a new generation, they began to put him in the same basket with the senators of the racket game, to wonder if he would surpass them. And the comparisons are not exaggerated. Carlos Alcaraz deserved them, because if it weren't for him, Novak Djokovic would now have the 24th Grand Slam title, and at the upcoming US Open, he would be aiming for the 25th.

But Carlos Alcaraz happened. And thank God that he did... Because you will admit, it would be a bit boring if we divided tennis between Novak Djokovic and the others. At the same time, the proverbially cruel public would probably respect the Serbian tennis giant for several Grand Slam titles without Rafa on the court. This way they will have to bite their fist because the 'best of all time' defies his age and refuses to think about retirement.

From everything previously said, by simply summarizing the tennis they played and the success they achieved in 2023, the only adequate question before the start of the US Open is - Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz? The Serbian is chasing his first title at the US Open since 2018, the Spaniard is defending his championship title in New York.

All the others, with all due respect to Daniil Medvedev, the third-ranked tennis player in the world, the young lions Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune, and the company consisting of Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, last year's finalist Kasper Ruud, are not in the orbit of Djokovic and Alcaraz. The first and second tennis players in the world created their own tennis universe, duopolized the sport... There is only room for the two of them and selfishly they don't let anyone in.

Because of their skirmishes, people at the other side of the planet stay awake at night, just as there was no sleep even when the famous battles were fought by Novak and Rafa. Because of the atomic, merciless tennis that they demonstrated in the recent four-hour final in Cincinnati, before that in the battle for Wimbledon, and a little earlier in the two sets of the semifinals of Roland Garros until Carlitos began to have cramps. Tennis is loved, the stands are full, and the scream is snatched from the audience, while the long rallies continue.

And that's why if you were to ask random Americans on the streets of New York who they would like to see in the grand final and if they named one of their countrymen, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda... They would probably lie.

"Although in America it is logical that people hope for a breakthrough for American tennis players, everyone says 'Oh, I want to see Alcaraz play against Novak' because he was not allowed to play last year. This is his first tournament in the USA in two years . It's amazing to see a historic great against a young superstar. I'd love to see that matchup again. The last few matches have been spectacular and incredibly close. Let's hope this rivalry lasts," said the legendary John McEnroe.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the US Open suits Novak the least of all the Grand Slams. He played in nine finals, winning only three, the last in 2018. The following season, due to an injury, he had to forfeit the round of 16 match to Stan Wawrinka, in 2020 he was disqualified after accidentally hitting the linesman with the ball, in 2021, Daniil Medvedev happened to him, and last year, since he was unvaccinated, he did not have the right to enter the United States. So, bad luck, injustices and bad fate filled the last four years.

But Novak didn't become one of the greatest champions in the history of sports by letting his failures get the better of him. As he said before Cincinnati: "I got over the loss to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in a day." He also spoke words imbued with similar motives at the conference before the US Open.

"This year is this year. I don't think about what happened a year ago or previous seasons. I direct my focus exclusively to what is coming now. There was no anger that I missed last year's US Open. But while he was playing, I thought it was a shame I wasn't there. I was sad because I couldn't participate," Novak said.

Here is now an opportunity to pay back what was missed and taken away, with interest - the 24th Grand Slam title on the horizon.

Interestingly, before Roland Garros, Alcaraz was apostrophized as the first favorite, and Novak lifted the cup in the Boulogne Forest. Then before Wimbledon, Djokovic was the main candidate for the throne, but the trophy ended up in the hands of the Spaniard. The odds this time slightly favor Djokovic to a good extent and due to the fact that the world number two - who will certainly take over the top of the ATP list because he is not defending points in New York - overcame the heat stroke, Carlos' missiles and overturned the now iconic Cincinnati final.

The narrative before the US Open is identical to that before Roland Garros. The public mostly doesn't see anyone in the finals except Novak and Carlos, asking if there is a third man at all, someone capable of standing in the way of the already-seen showpiece. Logic says - Daniil Medvedev.

***ODDS ON WHO WILL LIFT THE US OPEN TROPHY ON SEPTEMBER 10***

The Russian is the third favorite for the trophy and knows how to win it, and he also has that final from 2019 when he bowed down to Nadal. But it is enough to take a look at the odds and it will be clear to you that the Muscovite is actually an outsider among the favorites.

However, it would be unfair to completely exclude him from the race. However, two years ago, in Novak Djokovic's last US Open match, he took away the 'calendar grand slam' from the Serb in three sets. Simultaneously with the pressure that ate up the Serbian ace, disarmed the rival, made tears flow from the eyes of the tennis king. He can't play Novak before the final, and if there are no surprises, he will play Alcaraz in the semi-final.

"Everyone is talking about the Alcaraz vs. Djokovic final, but it doesn't irritate me at all. Their matches are a great thing for tennis. But my goal is that after this US Open the talk will be about me," said Medvedev and hinted at serious confidence, announcing more convincing performances from those in Toronto and Cincinnati when he was losing to Alex de Minaur and Alexander Zverev.

The concrete specialist was also a factor on his favorite surface in the first part of the season. He tied four titles on concrete, including the one from the Masters in Miami. Contrary to all expectations, he also won the Masters in Rome, and since May, he has mostly served disappointments. Here's his chance to show that he's no accident a former champion at Flushing Meadows.

Maybe the Scandinavian duo Holger Rune and Kasper Ruud hold the fourth and fifth place on the ATP list, but the results on the American and Canadian concrete do not announce positive things in New York. Rune was eliminated in the first rounds of both Toronto and Cincinnati, so since the Wimbledon quarterfinals with Carlos Alcaraz, he has lost five losses. Ruud jumped over just one hurdle in Toronto, and like Rune, was eliminated in the Cincinnati opener. Therefore, Jannik Sinner, who won his first Masters in his career, has a better chance in Canada. The Italian could clash with Carlitos in the quarter-finals provided he knocks out Alexander Zverev, a man who also has a good chance of reaching the second week. Sasha made it to the semifinals in Cincinnati, but he couldn't get past Djokovic.

Why could Sinner be a landmine for Alcaraz? Precisely because he knows how to fight Carlitos on concrete. Let's remember that he almost eliminated the Spaniard in last year's US Open quarterfinals. He led 2-1, missed the match point in the fourth set, and then succumbed in the fifth. However, Carlos today is a 2.0 version of himself compared to last year's US Open, while Sinner has improved, but nowhere near compared to the 'Terminator' from Murcia.

When it comes to Stefanos Tsitsipas, and when he ran into Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros, he bounced off the Spaniard like a wall on his favorite surface. There is no continuity, he won his only title in Los Cabos, Mexico, and he already has 15 defeats since the start of the calendar year. And at the same time, a potential duel with Djokovic awaits him in the quarterfinals.

American top 10 talents Taylor Fritz (9) and Frances Tiafoe (10) could play on the card of the home crowd, which is also the loudest crowd on the planet. The same applies to the 14th tennis player in the world, Tommy Paul, with the fact that his comparative advantage over his countrymen is that he defeated Alcaraz in Toronto, and then seriously tormented him in Cincinnati. So, at the moment, he is reputed to be the most confident American. All three are in Djokovic's part of the draw, Fritz is a potential rival in the quarterfinals, and Tiafoe and Paul a round later. The IBM artificial intelligence analyzed the draw and said that after Djokovic and Alcaraz, Sinner is the third favorite, Medvedev is the fourth, and Tiafoe is the fifth.

No one expects a boom from Andrey Rublev (8), for him the Grand Slam quarterfinal is always an unsurmountable obstacle since he has never broken that barrier in his career.

However, if the scenario of someone spoiling Djokovic or Alcaraz is still running through your head, perhaps it's best to take another look at the highlights of the Cincinnati final. Take a minute after that, watch a little Wimbledon final, and it will be enough to understand.

Djokovic or Alcaraz.