Novak Djokovic will begin his bid to win the U.S. Open for a men’s-record 21st major tennis championship and to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam by facing a…
Novak Djokovic will begin his bid to win the U.S. Open for a men’s-record 21st major tennis championship and to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam by facing a player who comes through qualifying. Win that, and Djokovic’s potential path — as determined by Thursday’s draw — could include 2014 finalist Kei Nishikori in the third round, No.6 seed Matteo Berretini in the quarterfinals in a rematch of last month’s Wimbledon final and No.4 Alexander Zverev, the 2020 runner-up in New York, in the semifinals. Naomi Osaka’s first Grand Slam action since she withdrew from the French Open following a first-round victory to take a mental health break will come against Marie Bouzkova, a 23-year-old from the Czech Republic who is ranked 86th and has a 1-10 career record at the majors, including 0-3 at Flushing Meadows. Osaka won their only previous encounter in straight sets at last year’s Australian Open. Looking past that, Osaka could face 17-year-old American Coco Gauff — whom she beat in New York in 2019 and lost to at Melbourne Park in 2020 — or three-time major champion Angelique Kerber in the fourth round.
