Novak Djokovic has a record 23 Grand Slams to his name, yet only 3 of those have come at the US Open Championships. With the GOAT debate pretty much going in the Serbian’s favor at the moment, this stat comes across as a huge shock to tennis enthusiasts.
The current World No.2 has made it to 9 US Open finals in his career so far, which is remarkably the same number as his Wimbledon final appearances, including the recent 2023 one against Carlos Alcaraz. However, unlike in the iconic grass court Grand Slam, Djokovic has only won 3 out of the 9 finals at the Flushing Meadows in New York. Some reasons could be the competitors he has come up against, his own injuries, some extraordinary situations and the fact that the tournament is the most open Grand Slam when it comes to chances of winning it because of the conditions.
Why Novak Djokovic has struggled at the US Open
Novak Djokovic played his first US Open final back in 2007, which was co-incidentally also his first appearance in any Grand Slam final. It was in this match where he gained global recognition to a large extent, as his opponent was one of his biggest rivals, Roger Federer. However, Federer was at the peak of his powers back then and Djokovic was nowhere near even matching him at his game.
It was pretty much the same story when Novak Djokovic took on Rafael Nadal in the 2010 US Open final. That was arguably Nadal’s finest year till date as he had won the ‘Channel Slam’ and nearly every ATP Tour event he played in, prior to the tournament. And the result was Nadal winning the final in 4 sets, despite the general belief that Djokovic even then was the superior hard court player out of the two.
However, 2011 signaled Djokovic’s rise in the men’s singles game as he had already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon prior to the US Open. On the other hand, Nadal could only manage to win the French Open title and lost to Djokovic at Wimbledon, which may have created a mental block of sorts in the Spaniard. Djokovic exacted his revenge 12 months later to win his first crown in New York.
Apart from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray was another player emerging as a huge Grand Slam contender on any surface. No surprises that the Wimbledon 2012 finalist beat Djokovic in the US Open final in the same year, taking advantage of the rare event of Federer and Nadal both not making it to the semi-finals.
But champions know how to bounce back and Nadal did just that in the 2013 season after a career-threatening injury. The Spaniard, like in 2010, won important hard court events in the North American swing leading up to the US Open. The timing was perfect for the now 22-time Grand Slam winner to outclass Djokovic in the final, who seemed weary after an intense season in which he again lost the Wimbledon final to Andy Murray.
Unfortunately for Novak Djokovic, he was upset in the semifinals of the 2014 edition by Kei Nishikori. But that defeat galvanized him to have an outstanding 2015 season, in which he won the Australian Open and Wimbledon while also making it to the French Open final. With Nadal injured again and Murray in poor form, Djokovic outclassed Federer in the US Open final that year.
As they say though, tennis is a game of uncertainties and one of the most brutal sports, especially when played individually. Towards the end of 2016, Novak Djokovic was clearly struggling with injuries. This could be the reason that a player like Stan Wawrinka, who is extremely punishing with his baseline game, managed to beat him in the US Open final that year.
It took Djokovic 2 years to bounce back, regaining his form at Wimbledon 2018 to back it up with surprisingly his last US Open title, beating 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro in the final. But again, injury proved to be Djokovic’s major enemy, as he had to retire in between of his Round of 16 match against Stan Wawrinka in the 2019 edition.
The most unusual saga of Djokovic’s career came in the 2020 edition after he accidentally hurled a ball with his racquet angrily, which nearly injured a lineswoman. This was considered the Serbian’s best chance to win the competition but he was disqualified for his act by the chair umpire. The following year, in 2021, Djokovic was in supreme form again. Yet, he fell short against the young and all-guns-blazing Russian, Daniil Medvedev in the final, who is like the Serbian star, a hard court specialist.
And coming to last year, Djokovic decided to withdraw from the tournament as the US government rejected a petition on the grounds that he remains unvaccinated from Covid-19. The same reason also made him miss the Australian Open at the start of 2022.
However, it seems that Novak Djokovic being more successful at the Australian Open than the US Open boils down to 3 major factors – 1) Hot and humid conditions which suit him more than other players on the Tour.
2) The acrylic hard surface in Melbourne is much faster than the synthetic hard surface in New York, which is perfect for Djokovic’s attacking game.
3) His past successes in Australia and the crowd seem to favor him more Down Under.
How does Djokovic’s draw at the US Open 2023 look like?
Novak Djokovic is all set to return for the US Open 2023, seeded second after the defending champion and World No.1, Carlos Alcaraz. Apart from Alcaraz, the World No.2 is expected to face a stiff challenge once again from Daniil Medvedev should both of them make the final. But it is more likely that Djokovic would take on either Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner or Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals or semifinals since they are set to be in the same quarter or half.
As a result, Djokovic might be the one to have a tougher draw than Alcaraz, which was not the case at Wimbledon 2023 since the above mentioned players have more game on hard courts. Should the Spaniard not make it to the final but the veteran does, the latter could then either play Andrey Rublev or Taylor Fritz, both of whom are known to be giant slayers on their day especially in Grand Slams.
