Twenty-four majors on the board, one more to make history. That has been the number stalking Novak Djokovic all year, and after Thursday’s draw ceremony in New York, the bracket that could deliver it is finally on paper.
The 24-time major winner is seeded fourth at this year’s tournament, behind top seed Alexander Zverev, second seed Carlos Alcaraz and third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is absent with a knee injury, which nudged Djokovic and Alcaraz both up a rung and reshaped the entire men’s field.
The 25th major, and the man in front of him
By seed, Djokovic’s road runs the length of the tournament: two weeks, seven matches, and, if the seedings hold, a semi-final against Alcaraz. Analysts mapping the top of the draw before Thursday’s ceremony noted that Alcaraz and Djokovic would not meet until a hypothetical semi-final, with names such as Lorenzo Musetti, Learner Tien and Alexander Bublik among the seeded threats in Djokovic’s quarter.
Djokovic is a four-time US Open champion. He is also the only player in the men’s game to have moved past 24 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era, and no one, in any era, has reached 25.
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A summer of health problems
The scale of the prize sits against a lead-up that has been anything but steady. Djokovic sat out the Canadian Open after Wimbledon, then lost his opening match at the Cincinnati Open on 16 August, going down 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Argentine qualifier Thiago Agustín Tirante in a match that stretched to two hours and 44 minutes.
Afterwards, he revealed a condition he had not previously discussed in detail.
“It’s just a condition that I have, health wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years,” Djokovic told reporters in Cincinnati.
He described the toll as “a lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot”, conditions that regularly define late-summer tennis in New York.
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Alcaraz is back from four months out
The man drawn into a potential semi-final collision has his own reason to feel his way in. Alcaraz confirmed his US Open return after more than four months on the sidelines, following a right wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open in April. He skipped Roland Garros and Wimbledon, then withdrew from the Cincinnati Open, and arrives in New York without a competitive match since the spring.
Behind him, the men’s draw is unusually open, with Zverev leading the seedings in Sinner’s absence.
Sunday start, $5.5m for the winner
The main draw begins on Sunday, 30 August, with the women’s final on Saturday, 12 September and the men’s final on Sunday, 13 September. The USTA has raised the total purse to $108 million, with the singles champions each set to receive $5.5 million. First-round losers earn $140,000.
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