Carlos Alcaraz was surprised by Novak Djokovic's draw at the 2023 US Open, especially after Casper Ruud lost and cleared the path.
Novak Djokovic was already catching a break when AI determined that he got the easier draw out of all the players. It only got easier for him when Casper Ruud lost early at the event, even though some may say it had no impact as the Norwegian has been far from his best.
But on the other hand, he's a player capable of hitting a higher level, what he showed last year at Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz was just surprised to see players he respects, like Holger Rune and Ruud, crash out early. The other side of it is making Djokovic's draw easier, which hurts Alcaraz indirectly, but also his part was cleared of the young Dane.
"I was surprised that Rune, Ruud and other top players already lost. But this is a Grand Slam. All matches are very tough. This shows how competitive is this tournament is. In terms of ranking, Djokovic's draw is open, but there are good players left!"
So, how easy is Djokovic's draw? Well, he's facing Laslo Djere in the next round. It's a matchup that he never lost before, so he's likely to win it again. If he does, he'll face Jiri Vesely or Borna Gojo.
Now, neither is a spectacular player, but let's remember that Vesely leads Djokovic 2-0 in matchups on the ATP Tour. If he does survive that, he'll most probably face Taylor Fritz. That could be a dangerous matchup considering we're on US soil, but Fritz hasn't had much success against Djokovic, so it's unlikely a matchup the the Serb fears.
And if he wins that one, then he'll again face a player that isn't all that great, making Fritz technically the only high-ranked player he might face till the final. The final might see him take on Alcaraz, and that's the matchup that everybody wants to see in the end.
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