Main singles draw for the 2021 edition of the US Open has been made on Thursday.
No.1 seed Novak Djokovic will open campaign in his 16th US Open appearance against Danish qualifier Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune (ATP #145).
The reigning Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbedon champion might face either Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) or Tallon Griekspoor (NED) in the second round.
Novak’s possible rivals in the later stages of the tournament are:
3rd round: David Goffin (BEL, 27), Kei Nishikori (JPN)
4th round: Alex De Minaur (AUS, 14), Aslan Karatsev (RUS, 21)
Quarter-finals: Matteo Berrettini (ITA, 6), Hubert Hurkacz (POL, 10), Fabio Fognini (ITA, 28)
Semi-finals: Alexander Zverev (GER, 4), Denis Shapovalov (CAN, 7), Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP, 9)
Daniil Medvedev (RUS, 2), Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE, 3), Andrey Rublev (RUS, 5), John Isner (USA, 19)… are in the bottom half of the draw, and Nole can’t meet them before the final.
The Serbian tennis ace won 75 matches of 87 he played at the US Open.
Novak will be looking for his 21st Grand Slam title in New York, where he lifted the trophy in 2011, 2015 and 2018.
The 34-year-pold Belgrade native will also try to complete the first men’s singles calendar-year Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.
Last year, Djokovic was disqualified from his fourth-round match after accidentally hitting a linesperson with a ball.
Competitions at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows begin on August 30, and will last until September 12.
