Novak Djokovic may have completed tennis, but that doesn’t mean he’s not out to make more history in New York

For the entire field at this year’s US Open, the final grand slam of the year poses something of an interesting dilemma.

Just weeks ago, the best players in the world were on the clay of Roland Garros, an intriguing diversion from the well-trodden path from Wimbledon’s grass to the vertiginous stands of Flushing Meadows via the US hardcourt season.

For a sport as rooted in its establishment as tennis, this represents more than just a bump in the road.

As such, it’s hard to gauge who comes into the tournament in form, not least the defending champion, Novak Djokovic.

Having finally claimed an emotional Olympic title in Paris, Djokovic has wrapped up a long-awaited career Golden Slam to unarguably cement his legacy as the greatest major tournament winner in tennis history.

In fact, that moment was hailed by the 37-year-old as the greatest of his impressive achievements in the sport.

“I think now, when I look back, the greatest achievement and greatest highlight of my career overall [was] winning the gold for Serbia,” Djokovic said in New York this week. 

“[It was] very, very special — probably the most intense emotions I have ever had on a tennis court.

“I was saying that carrying the flag, being a flag-bearer for my country … in 2012 in London at the Olympic Games, was the best feeling I had overall in my professional career, surpassed every slam that I won, until I won the gold medal.

“I think the moment of when I achieved it, how I achieved it, after years of trying, the journey, that was the way it was, I think makes it even more unique.”

Tennis? Completed it, mate.

Except, of course, that’s not how the greatest think.

Djokovic will now turn his attentions to new targets, old goals newly fashioned into the history-making exploits that will take generations to surpass. 

“People ask me, ‘Now that you have basically won everything with the golden medal, what else is there to win?'” he said.

More history includes becoming the outright grand slam singles titles leader, male or female, should he win a fifth US Open crown in the next fortnight.

Currently the Serbian is tied on 24 majors with Margaret Court.

That’s not all. A win at Flushing Meadows will be Djokovic’s 100th tour-level singles title.

If he does win in New York, he will become the first man to claim back-to-back US Open titles since Roger Federer won five in a row through 2008.

There are also standards to uphold for Djokovic.

The Serbian has won at least one grand slam title in each of the past six years, a run that will end should he fall short in New York.

If he doesn’t claim the title, he will have only won a single title this calendar year — his worst return over the course of his entire career — even if the one he won was the most important of all. Not since 2017 has he won fewer than two.

With a storm of controversy raging around men’s world number one Jannik Sinner and an injury cloud hovering over 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz — who twisted his ankle in practice, limiting his already-reduced time on hard courts prior to the tournament getting underway — perhaps this could be the time for Djokovic once more.

Lack of hard-court time leaves draws wide open

That truncated hard-court stint ahead of the US Open may yet play a role in the destination this year’s US Open will take.

Shifting from the sliding red clay to the hardness and the heat of stadiums Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong does not lend itself to a swift adaptation — but Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka won’t have to worry about that.

The Belarusian opted not to represent the AIN in Paris and, without that clay deviation, was able to hit the ground running when the tour resumed post-Olympics Stateside, winning the WTA title in Cincinnati last week without dropping a set.

Despite winning the title in 2022, world number one Iga Świątek has never been at her most comfortable in New York, despite arguably having the best game to handle the power of Sabalenka.

Defending champion Coco Gauff lost in the round of 16 at the Olympics and in Toronto, before losing in three sets to Yulia Putintseva at Cincinnati, a match that featured nine double faults, betraying a faulty second serve that is costing the 20-year-old dearly against the best players in the world.

Another player who has enjoyed plenty of time on hard courts since the Olympics is New York local Jessica Pegula, who won in Toronto and reached the final in Cincinnati.

However, the 30-year-old has never gotten past the quarterfinals at any grand slam tournament in 22 attempts.

On the men’s side, Sinner comes into the tournament having won the Cincinnati Masters but with the added pressure of accusations surrounding his two positive test results for performance-enhancing drug clostebol, which can be used to build muscle mass.

The International Tennis Integrity Authority says Sinner has been cleared of fault or negligence by an independent tribunal, but that won’t placate many, with Djokovic acknowledging there is “frustration” from players about a perceived “lack of consistency”.

Wimbledon and French Open champion Alcaraz did not want to talk about the controversy, focusing instead on his chances after the heartbreak of his Olympic final defeat to Djokovic.

Alcaraz’s only match since that Paris defeat was a three-set loss to Gael Monfils in Cincinnati that ended in extreme racquet abuse, but a lack of court time does not worry the 21-year-old Spaniard.

“Obviously I [would] have loved to have more matches on my belt on hard court before the US Open but it doesn’t affect me at all,” Alcaraz said. 

“If I look back a little bit, for example, [entering] Roland Garros, I [didn’t have] too [many] matches on clay, and it was a pretty good result. And then in Wimbledon, same thing.”

Alcaraz had four clay-court matches prior to his French Open run, and just two on grass ahead of Wimbledon. He won both slams.

Australian contingent in position to mount charge

Of the eight Australians in the main women’s singles draw — the most at the US Open since 1989 — none have a favourable draw.

Australia’s highest-ranked woman, Daria Saville (93), faces Japanese qualifier and world number 218 Ena Shibahara in the first round, but then faces the prospect of taking on number one seed Świątek in round two.

Ajla Tomljanovic also has a qualifier first up, American world number 131 Ann Li, but is projected to meet home favourite and 14th seed Madison Keys in round three.

Taylah Preston, Destanee Aiava, Priscilla Hon and Kimberly Birrell all take on seeded players in their first round matches.

There is a 12-strong Australian contingent in the men’s draw, the most since 1979, and it features a fit-again Alex de Minaur as 10th seed, the highest-seeded Australian man in New York in 19 years.

However, Alexei Popyrin is the man in form, his Montreal Masters triumph the first by an Australian at an ATP1000 tournament since Lleyton Hewitt at Indian Wells in 2003.

Popyrin, ranked 28th and seeded for the first time at a grand slam, told Tennis Australia’s in-house podcast that a huge part of his success was due to playing with confidence.

“To be able to step on court and feel like you’re able to produce any shot or do anything, that’s a feeling that you try and keep forever,” he said.

Although unable to continue his form with success in Cincinnati, falling to Monfils in the first round after a super-short turnaround, Popyrin will continue to ride that confidence into Flushing Meadows against Korean world number 342 Soonwoo Kwon, who has only won two tour-level matches all year.

Earning a spot in the second week of a grand slam for the first time will not be easy though.

Should the 25-year-old win his opening two matches, he could well meet Djokovic in the third round.

Popyrin has fallen at the third-round stage twice before at Flushing Meadows — and six times overall in grand slams — but given the complex nature of the Olympics build-up and the uncertainty around the top end of the draw, anything is possible.