By Shrivathsa Sridhar<\/p>\n
BENGALURU, Aug 28 (Reuters) \u2013 The stars may be aligning for Novak Djokovic\u2019s quest to win a standalone record 25th Grand Slam at the U.S. Open, with Jannik Sinner out injured and Carlos Alcaraz returning from a lengthy layoff, though Alexander Zverev remains a formidable obstacle.<\/p>\n
Since triumphing at Flushing Meadows in 2023, Djokovic has remained a \u200bforce at the Grand Slams, but Alcaraz and Sinner have seized control of the men\u2019s game and shared \u200c10 of the last 11 major titles.<\/p>\n
Attempts by the Serb to go clear of Margaret Court on the all-time list of major winners have repeatedly been thwarted by Alcaraz and Sinner, who have combined to beat him five times across the last six Grand Slams.<\/p>\n
Djokovic\u2019s best opportunity in years ended in a defeat by Alcaraz in this year\u2019s Australian Open final, but the 39-year-old is not short of belief as he eyes a fifth U.S. Open title despite limited \u200cpreparation \u200band lingering physical issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a word in Serbian called inat,\u201d Djokovic said in \u2060his new documentary that aired before the year\u2019s \u2060final major.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people doubt you, when everyone is basically against you, that\u2019s when you use that inat, that force of stubbornness to prove everybody wrong. That inat is quite widespread in the mentality of Serbian people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Circumstances have also broken more favourably for Djokovic than in recent years, with Sinner ruled out by a knee injury and Alcaraz back after more than four \u200bmonths out with a wrist issue that has left questions about his sharpness.<\/p>\n
Alexander Zverev may represent Djokovic\u2019s biggest obstacle, however, after finally ending his long wait for a maiden major title at the French Open before making the Wimbledon final to underline his \u2060credentials as a top contender in New York.<\/p>\n
ALCARAZ\u2019S RETURN ADDS INTRIGUE<\/p>\n
Alcaraz\u2019s long absence \u2060has clouded his prospects, but the defending champion has built a reputation for producing his best \u200btennis on the grandest stages and cannot be discounted despite the uncertainty surrounding his return.<\/p>\n
Despite Zverev\u2019s breakthrough and credible challengers in the draw, \u200bSwiss great Roger Federer believes Djokovic cannot be written off.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever Novak enters any tournament, for that matter, \u200cor a major, he\u2019ll have a shot,\u201d Federer told reporters in New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen what he can do, not just once, not just here or there. He\u2019s done it in every place at the highest of levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as he\u2019s in the draw, there\u2019s a chance. That\u2019s also one of the reasons he\u2019s still playing, because he actually truly must believe he can still do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
SHELTON ON THE RISE<\/p>\n
Canadian \u2060Open champion Ben Shelton and Cincinnati runner-up Frances Tiafoe spearhead a strong American challenge, while 2024 finalist Taylor Fritz will also fancy his chances of ending a 23-year wait for a homegrown men\u2019s champion.<\/p>\n
Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open winner, believes Shelton has thrust himself \u2060into genuine contention after shrugging off a tame \u200cfirst-round exit at Wimbledon to win the Montreal title earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Shelton remains difficult to \u2060gauge after an early exit in Cincinnati, with questions lingering over his ability to sustain his \u200blevel over \u200cthe course of a major.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing to watch for is he has to take care \u200bof his business \u2060in the first week to be a contender in the second week,\u201d Roddick said on his \u2018Served\u2019 podcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far this year, that\u2019s been tough for Ben in majors \u2026 the upside is four titles on different surfaces, and rightfully so, we talk about and wonder if this is someone who can win a Grand Slam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the established contenders, rising talents like Arthur Fils and Rafael Jodar will look to make a mark in New York, while last year\u2019s semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime seeks to build on the joint best major run of his career.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Shrivathsa \u200bSridhar in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Shrivathsa Sridhar BENGALURU, Aug 28 (Reuters) \u2013 The stars may be aligning for Novak Djokovic\u2019s quest to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59150,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[219],"class_list":["post-59817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jannik-sinner","tag-jannik-sinner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}