US Open 2023 Victory Propels Novak Djokovic Back to World Number One
With a convincing victory on his return to the US Open, Novak Djokovic will overtake challenger Carlos Alcaraz as the number one player in the world.
In the night session on Monday in New York, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic defeated France’s Alexandre Muller and won 6-0 6-2 6-3. Djokovic lost to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
Djokovic, 36, was denied entry to compete in the United States last year due to a lack of a Covid-19 vaccination. He has come back knowing that a victory would give him a record-tying 24th major championship.
Djokovic’s goal is to equal Margaret Court’s all-time total, and he made a statement by easily defeating Muller, who was ranked 84th. The three-time US Open champion demonstrated he did not want to linger by dropping just eight games in a 23-minute opening set despite the match beginning at 23:00 local time.
Muller, 26, raised both arms in joy when he finally tied the score at 2-1 in the second set, but he was unable to stop Djokovic from extending his lead. In the third set, Muller put up more of a fight, but Djokovic claimed the final four games to seal the triumph in an hour and 34 minutes.
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Djokovic and Alcaraz Awaited Face Off
Djokovic, who won the French Open and Australian Open earlier this year, will face Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain in the second round of the Flushing Meadows tournament in an attempt to win a fourth championship. The top seed, 20-year-old Alcaraz, won his first major at the US Open without Djokovic last year and will begin the defense of his title on Tuesday against Dominik Koepfer of Germany.
With the development of an intriguing competition over the previous 12 months, Alcaraz and Djokovic are the co-favorites to win the men’s singles championship. It was boiling at the beginning of the season, but there was little possibility for the duo to face off on the court if neither was present at important tournaments.
With three thrilling matches in the semi-finals of the French Open, the Wimbledon championship battle, and this month’s Cincinnati final, the match-up has now heated up over the previous several months.
Being the top two seeds, Alcaraz and Djokovic cannot face off until the US Open final.
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Source: BBC
