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Novak Djokovic enters the 2021 US Open as the heavy favorite to lift his fourth title at Flushing Meadows. Perhaps more importantly, though, a title in New York will move Djokovic ahead of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam race for the first time in his career.
All three men are currently tied at 20 Majors apiece. Federer and Nadal have both withdrawn from the US Open and will be unable to add to their Grand Slam tallies until 2022.
Djokovic is also just a US Open title away from becoming the first man since Rod Laver (1969) to complete the Calendar Grand Slam.
On that note, let's take a look at Djokovic's potential opponents at this year's US Open:
Novak Djokovic's 1st round opponent - Qualifier
The top seed and three-time champion starts his 2021 US Open campaign against a qualifier. The qualifying rounds are currently in progress, with the likes of Ivo Karlovic, Fernando Verdasco, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Hugo Gaston, Holger Rune, Ernests Gulbis, Oscar Otte, and Benjamin Bonzi into the second round at the time of writing.
Djokovic is unlikely to face much resistance from any of the qualifiers despite the fact that he is entering the Major devoid of any match practice.
Novak Djokovic's likely 2nd round opponent - Jan-Lennard Struff/Tallon Griekspoor
If he wins his first-round match, Novak Djokovic will face German Jan-Lennard Struff or Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.
Djokovic has a 6-0 head-to-head advantage over Struff, which includes a straight-sets win at the recent Tokyo Olympics. The Serb, however, has never faced the 110th-ranked Griekspoor on tour before.
Neither player is expected to give Djokovic much of a fight and the Serb should advance to the third round without too much trouble.
Novak Djokovic's likely 3rd round opponent - Kei Nishikori/Mackenzie McDonald
The top-ranked Serb could face Kei Nishikori or Mackenzie McDonald in the third round. 2014 runner-up Kei Nishikori opens his campaign against Salvatore Caruso while Mackenzie McDonald faces David Gofin in his opener.
Goffin has only just recovered from injury and enters this Slam woefully short on confidence and form. McDonald, on the other hand, has posted a few good results recently; he finished as the runner-up in the Citi Open.
Nishikori picked up a few impressive wins during the North American hardcourt swing, but he too has been battling injuries lately.
All things considered, neither Nishikori nor McDonald has the game to take more than a set off the Serb.
Novak Djokovic's likely 4th round opponent - Aslan Karatsev/Alex de Minaur/Taylor Fritz
Djokovic is likely to face his first real threat in the fourth round, where he could come up against Aslan Karatsev or Alex de Minaur. Taylor Fritz is another big threat in this section of this draw, considering his prowess on hardcourts. But the American has been drawn to face de Minaur in the first round.
Djokovic owns a 4-0 head-to-head record against Fritz, and is yet to lock horns with de Minaur. Karatsev, meanwhile, has beaten Djokovic before, albeit on clay.
Novak Djokovic's likely quarterfinal opponent - Hubert Hurkacz/Matteo Berrettini
If Djokovic reaches the quarterfinals, he could come up against either Hubert Hurkacz or Matteo Berrettini. Both players possess big serves and powerful groundstrokes and can cause problems for the Serb.
The courts at Flushing Meadows are reportedly faster than usual this year, meaning big-servers like Hurkacz and Berrettini will benefit.
However, Berrettini only recently recovered from a hamstring injury, and it remains to be seen if he is fit enough to make it to the quarterfinals.
Hurkacz, on the other hand, has posted a few impressive results on hardcourts of late. He came close to beating Daniil Medvedev at the Toronto Masters and made it to the third round in Cincinnati.
The Pole has a Masters 1000 title to his name on this surface, so Djokovic cannot afford to take him lightly.
Novak Djokovic's likely semifinal opponent - Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev is the one name Novak Djokovic would have been keen to avoid. The German recently beat Djokovic at the Tokyo Olympics, but he has never tasted success against the Serb in the best-of-five format.
That said, Zverev will first need to find a way through his section of the draw. The likes of Jannik Sinner, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Denis Shapovalov could make things tricky for the newly-crowned Cincinnati champion.
Novak Djokovic's likely opponent in the final - Daniil Medvedev/Stefanos Tsitsipas
If Djokovic makes it to the final, he could find either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas standing between him and a 21st Grand Slam title.
Medvedev and Tsitsipas have been placed in the bottom half of the draw, meaning they cannot face Novak Djokovic until the final.
Going by recent form and hardcourt pedigree, Medvedev is the most likely player to reach the final from the bottom half of the draw.
The Serb dismantled Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open earlier this year, but the Russian has the game to take down Djokovic.
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