‘Anybody can take it’: Djokovic sees opportunity for an American to win US Open after loss

It’s an American’s time to shine at the 2024 U.S. Open.

After No. 2 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz went down within 24 hours of each other at the last Grand Slam of the year, tennis fans can set their sights on some home crowd favorites to make deep runs.

Even Djokovic thinks a U.S. tennis player can make a real dent in the draw after his shocking third round departure to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin on Friday night.

“Look, Alcaraz is out, I’m out, some big upsets — the draw is opening up,” Djokovic said after his loss. “Obviously [Jannik] Sinner is the main favorite, but then, [Frances] Tiafoe is there as well as American favorite [Taylor] Fritz. Anybody can take it. It’s going to be interesting to see who takes the title in the end.”

The remaining American men in the draw include No. 12 Taylor Fritz, No. 14 Tommy Paul, No. 20 Frances Tiafoe and No. 40 Brandon Nakashima.

Taylor Fritz, the top-ranked American at the U.S. Open, discusses his tournament so far this year and why Americans have had such a long drought at their home Grand Slam.

Earlier on Friday, Tiafoe took down compatriot No. 13 Ben Shelton in an all-American clash that went a grueling 5 sets. Instead of facing Djokovic for a spot in the quarterfinals, Tiafoe will now take on Popyrin. This will be the first time the two meet.

As for the other Americans, Fritz will take on 2022 finalist Casper Ruud while Nakashima, who is playing some of his best tennis, will face Alexander Zverev. If Fritz and Nakashima win each of their matches, that will guarantee an American semifinalist. From there, one of the U.S. players could see a potential clash against Tiafoe for a spot in the final.

On the other half of the draw, Paul is looking to secure a spot in the third round as he is set to face Canada’s Gabriel Diallo on Saturday. It could be a harder road for Paul to get through to the semifinals, however, with players such as Sinner, Medvedev, and Alex de Minaur around him.

Despite a 20-year drought since Andy Roddick’s 2003 victory, the future looks promising for America’s young tennis stars at the U.S. Open – and their breakthrough might be closer than we think.