Novak Djokovic unfazed by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal missing US Open 2020

Current World No.1 Novak Djokovic gave his thoughts on Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal missing out on US Open 2020. Ahead of the curtain-raising Western & Southern Open in New York, he said that it would be disrespectful to the remaining players to assume that he would have a better chance at winning the 2020 US Open on the grounds that his fiercest rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will not be participating in this edition of the grand slam.

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He said that while players like Dominic Thiem (currently ranked 3rd behind Djokovic and Nadal), Alexander Zverev (ranked 7th), Stefanos Tsitsipas (ranked 6th) and Daniil Medvedev (ranked 5th), it would be disrespectful to them to assume that he had a better chance at winning the 2020 US Open. 

Novak Djokovic's year so far

While Djokovic has underplayed the effect the pulling out of these two legends will have on his chances of winning, he will go into the tournament a definite favourite. A three-time winner at Flushing Meadows, the top seed will look to catch up to McEnroe and Nadal's 4 US Open wins and add another title to his existing 17 grand slam wins. 

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Also, a contributing factor will be Djokovic's fine form in the run-up to the Grand Slam even. Djokovic has been undefeated in 2020. Starting from his win in Brisbane in January, Djokovic went on to defeat Dominic Theim to win the Australian Open and followed it up with a straight-set win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Dubai Open. He has also had a stellar run at the ongoing Cincinnati Masters where he is yet to drop a set. It is also worth noting that his entire season has been on hardcourt, which has proven to be his strong suit over the years. 

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Adria Tour fiasco

After contracting the deadly Coronavirus at the Adria Tour, Djokovic has made a strong recovery and changed his previous decision to skip the US Open. He had previously said that he did not feel like the grand slam would be possible under the strict conditions surrounding COVID-19. He will face Damir Džumhur, Bosnia's No.1 player in his round one game at the US Open this year. 

Also Read | Djokovic Insists He Doesn't Have To Repair His Reputation After Adria Tour Fiasco

Two decades on ft Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal 

With Nadal pulling out of the slam due to personal reasons and Federer missing out after knee surgery, it will be the first time since the 1999 edition of the US Open that the duo will be missing from a grand slam event together. 

Image Credit - ATP Tour twitter