"We never got Federer-Nadal, this is the least the Tennis Fates could do" - Journalist asks for Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic final at US Open

Novak Djokovic fought back from a set-and-a-break deficit to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 Cincinnati Open final on Sunday (August 20). The Serb and the Spaniard, who have already faced each other at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, will next be gunning for the US Open title later this month.

Many in the tennis world believe Djokovic and Alcaraz meeting at this year's US Open will make for an electrifying match-up given the way their previous encounters have unfolded. In that context, journalist Jon Wertheim recently took to social media to express hope that the World No. 1 and the World No. 2 face off in the championship match at Flushing Meadows.

Wertheim also claimed that the so-called "tennis fates" owed the tennis community a match-up between the two at the final Major tournament of the year, since fans were never treated to an encounter between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in New York.

"Cosign….we never got Federer-Nadal in New York…this is the least the Tennis Fates could do for us," the journalist wrote on Twitter.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played each other in 40 matches over the course of a rivalry that transcended the game of tennis. The two faced off in epic Major finals at Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the Australian Open, but they never met at the US Open.

It is also pertinent to note that Nadal and Federer were one match away from facing each other at Flushing Meadows on multiple occasions. While the Spaniard failed to make it to the final and face the Swiss maestro at the 2008 and the 2009 US Open, the Swiss fell at the semifinal hurdle in 2010-11 to Djokovic himself — who ultimately faced Nadal in two back-to-back US Open finals.

Federer also failed to make it to the 2013 US Open quarterfinals and the 2017 US Open semifinals when he was projected to face the 22-time Major winner.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are the overwhelming favorites for this year's US Open

Novak Djokovic (R) and Carlos Alcaraz are tied 2-2 in their ATP head-to-head meetings

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are currently head and shoulders above the rest of the ATP field. Ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the men's singles rankings with a tally of 9,815 and 9,795 points, respectively, the Spaniard and the Serb are comfortably ahead of the chasing pack.

World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, who upset Djokovic to win his maiden US Open title in 2021, is more than 3,000 ATP ranking points below them.

Djokovic and Alcaraz have also accumulated the most top-10 wins this season, underlining their dominance in big matches. While the Serb has defeated a top-10 player nine times this year, Alcaraz has defeated a top-10 player eight times.

Two of Djokovic's nine top-10 wins in 2023 have come over Alcaraz, at Roland Garros and Cincinnati. And while Alcaraz defeated the 36-year-old to win his maiden Wimbledon title, it remains to be seen if he can exact revenge at this year's US Open.