Carlos Alcaraz has not played a competitive singles match since 14 April. On Thursday, the tournament he won a year ago handed him a comeback path that could end at the semifinals with Novak Djokovic across the net.

Alcaraz is the No. 2 seed at Flushing Meadows. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew with a right knee injury, promoting Alexander Zverev to top seed, while Djokovic is the fourth seed and Félix Auger-Aliassime the third, according to the seeding order confirmed after the ranking cutoff.

Djokovic was drawn into Alcaraz’s half of the bracket. Zverev leads the opposite half, so the two are the ones who cannot meet before the men’s final on Sunday 13 September.

Four months since Barcelona

Alcaraz’s last competitive singles was his first-round win over Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open on 14 April. He withdrew the following day with a right wrist injury and missed the French Open and Wimbledon.

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He confirmed his return on 20 August with a short message on Instagram.

“Here we go!” the Spaniard wrote in the post that ended more than four months of silence on singles.

He arrives as the reigning champion after beating Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the 2025 final. A successful defense would make him the first man to repeat as US Open champion since Roger Federer’s run of five in a row from 2004 to 2008.

Djokovic’s 25th chance

Sinner’s absence and Alcaraz’s rust have cleared a lane for the 39-year-old Djokovic, who is one major short of a standalone all-time record. Asked to list his 24 slams in order for the Prime Video documentary “The Wolf in Winter,” he ran through them and added, with a sly smile, “And 2026 US Open”.

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If the top seeds hold, his projected quarterfinal opponent from the section headlined by fifth seed Flavio Cobolli could come from Lorenzo Musetti, Learner Tien, Alexander Bublik or Brandon Nakashima before a semifinal against Alcaraz.

Rybakina’s shot at world No. 1

The women’s draw carries its own storyline. Elena Rybakina can move to world No. 1 with a semifinal run at Flushing Meadows, and would inherit the top ranking even without playing if none of Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula wins the title.

Sabalenka is defending the full 2,000 points from her 2025 title. She leads Rybakina by 354 points in the live race, but reaching the semifinals still leaves her surrendering 1,220 of the points she is defending.

The main draw begins at Flushing Meadows on Sunday 30 August, and the men’s final is on Sunday 13 September.

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