The US Open men’s singles semifinals are on Friday. The most anticipated matchup is the battle between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
These are my US Open best bets to target on DraftKings Sportsbook for the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz vs. Djokovic Prediction
It doesn’t get any better than Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic facing off at the US Open semifinals. The young phenom, who has taken the sport by storm over the last several years, against the most decorated man the game has ever seen. Alcaraz already has five Grand Slam titles at 22 years old, including the 2022 US Open. Meanwhile, Djokovic has a record 24 Grand Slam titles, including four US Open titles. Both have looked dominant so far in this tournament. Alcaraz is yet to drop a single set, while Djokovic has dropped just three sets across five matches. Carlos Alcaraz looks unbeatable at the moment, but he has struggled in his career against Djokovic, like so many have.
These two have never faced off at the US Open before, but they have at all three of the other Grand Slam venues. Alcaraz has defeated Djokovic in two Wimbledon Finals, but Djokovic has gotten the better of Alcaraz everywhere else. He took him out in the 2023 French Open semifinals and the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this year. Overall, Djokovic leads the series between the two 5-3, but has won four of the past five. More importantly for this venue, Djokovic is 3-0 against Alcaraz on hardcourt.
Djokovic has a distinct advantage on hardcourt. When separating out the four Grand Slams, there are the hardcourt venues, Melbourne and New York, and then the alternate surfaces of Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Djokovic has won everywhere in his illustrious career, but he has always loved hardcourt. He has won 14 Grand Slams on hardcourt, compared to ten on the other surfaces. On the other hand, Alcaraz loves the alternate surfaces, particularly clay. He has won four of his five major titles on grass or clay, with just the 2022 US Open coming on hard. In fact, Alcaraz has never even made it past the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. While Alcaraz is the better player at the moment, the surface is more advantageous for Djokovic.
Alcaraz vs. Djokovic Pick
It should be a special match between these two great players. Alcaraz is eyeing up a third consecutive Grand Slam final between himself and Jannik Sinner. However, Novak Djokovic is looking to go out on top of the sport. There is growing speculation that Djokovic could be retiring at the end of this season. If that is the case, it would be poetic for him to go out with one more major title. Alcaraz’s sublime form which has kept him from dropping a single set all tournament cannot be ignored. However, Djokovic has gotten the better of Alcaraz in their past two meetings, and has never lost to him on hardcourt.
My best bet is for Djokovic to cover +1.5 sets against Alcaraz. Djokovic has a real chance to pull off the upset. Despite not being as flawless as Alcaraz so far, Djokovic has been in total control of all of his matches, including against World No. 4 Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals. Djokovic is a master of controlling points, games, sets and matches. Despite Alcaraz’s supreme talent, Djokovic has been in this spot so many more times and will pull out any tricks necessary to keep himself in the match. If this goes to a fifth set, Alcaraz will have a great chance to win it. However, I am backing Djokovic to push it to that fifth set, or even come out with a win.
Novak Djokovic turned professional in 2003, the same year that Carlos Alcaraz was born. Djokovic is the greatest champion that men’s tennis has ever seen, and he seems to have one more big win in him. This should be a blockbuster match, in which Djokovic forces a fifth set, or even pulls off the upset against the great Carlos Alcaraz.
