Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev: Can Zverev stop Djokovic?

In the second semifinal of the US Open men’s tennis tournament, world number one Novak Djokovic will face world number four Alexander Zverev. Novak is widely regarded as the favourite, but let us not forget that not long ago, on July 30, 2021, Zverev defeated the Serb 2-1 in Tokyo and stopped the Balkan on his way to an Olympic gold medal.

As the top seed at the New York tournament, Djokovic had a pretty good seeding, but despite that, the Serb has already lost four sets on his way to the semifinals, which is not a small number. Rune, Nishikori, Brooksby, and Berrettini each won a game against the world number one. The match against the Italian, the world No 8, lasted three and a half hours, with Berrettini winning the first game against Djokovic, but Matteo could not increase his lead.

Zverev is in fantastic form, the best on tour since Medvedev. But it’s a five-set format. It’s a Grand Slam. Of course, he’s been doing very well in New York in recent years. Last year he was a couple of points away from the title. I know it’s going to be a struggle - even more difficult than today. But I’m ready for it. There are obstacles on the way to my goal. I can’t predict the outcome, but I can adjust and prepare as well as I can to perform at my best.

Novak Djokovic before the match against Zverev

Zverev already has a 16-match winning streak, dating back to the Tokyo Olympics. Zverev has won the Tokyo Olympics and the Cincinnati Masters and has reached the US Open semifinals. Unlike Djokovic, Zverev lost just one set in New York against Juk. The match against the Americans ended at 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 2-1 in favour of the German. In the quarterfinal, Zverev beat Lloyd Harris, a South African, one of the openers of the current tournament, in two hours and eight minutes. The German managed to stay fresh for the semifinals, with Alexander setting himself up to repeat last season’s success, i.e., to reach the US Open final.

Preparing for the match with Novak, you understand that you have to show your best tennis. You have to play perfectly. Otherwise, you won’t win. But you can’t show perfect tennis all the time. That’s why opponents lose to Novak more often than not. You need to win against him. You need to dominate the draws and have as few penalties as possible. He’s the best tennis player in the world, and he’s difficult to beat.

Alexander Zverev before the semifinal against Novak Djokovic

Djokovic is passionate about collecting a Slam, with the Serb finally having that opportunity this season. But, standing in the way of the Balkan are two powerful opponents: Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev. The German not so long ago deprived the Serb of his Olympic title, not surprisingly, if in New York Alexander will give a real fight to the first racket of the world. Also, note that Djokovic in New York lost four sets, one game each to four opponents, which we consider not a good sign for the Balkan. And Zverev himself is in super form, with a 16-match winning streak. Here are the odds for this match: W2 for 2.86, Total Over (37.5) for 1.72, Handicap 2 (4.5) for 1.71.