New York – Defending champion Novak Djokovic and rising star Carlos Alcaraz have been placed on opposite sides of the U.S. Open draw, creating the potential for another major showdown following their matches at Wimbledon and the recent Paris Olympics. For this to happen, the third-seeded Alcaraz may first need to overcome the top-seeded Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, who recently faced doping allegations.

Sinner, who tested positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March, was cleared after it was determined that the substance entered his system through a massage administered by his coach. The 23-year-old Italian won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year and will face American Mackie McDonald in the opening round.

Coco Gauff, who captured her first Grand Slam title in New York last year, is also seeded third and will open her campaign against French player Varvara Gracheva. Gauff could set up a semifinal clash with second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who she faced in the 2023 U.S. Open final.

The U.S. Open begins on Monday and runs through September 8. Djokovic, who secured his 24th Grand Slam title last year at Flushing Meadows, has been unable to add to his record since then. He lost to Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals, withdrew from the French Open due to a knee injury, and was defeated by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. In a rematch at the Paris Olympics, Djokovic triumphed over Alcaraz in a tightly contested match, earning his first Olympic gold medal.

Seeded second, Djokovic has not played since his Olympic victory, while both he and Alcaraz will start the U.S. Open against qualifiers determined this week. There is also considerable excitement surrounding the return of former U.S. Open champions who missed last year’s tournament. Naomi Osaka, who has won two of her four major titles at Flushing Meadows, will open against tenth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko. Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, faces a challenging first match against fifth-seeded Jasmine Paolini, finalist at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year.

Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, will meet American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open winner, in yet another first-round matchup featuring former major champions. Among the men’s first-round matches is a notable encounter between thirteenth-seeded Ben Shelton, who reached the semifinals last year, and 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem, who has been awarded a wild card for his final Grand Slam appearance before retirement.

Potential quarterfinal matchups on the men’s side could involve Sinner against 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic versus sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev, Alcaraz against seventh-seeded Hubert Hurkacz, and 2020 finalist Alexander Zverev facing 2022 finalist Casper Ruud. On the women’s side, the quarterfinals may feature a duel between top-seeded Iga Swiatek and sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula, Sabalenka against Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, Gauff against two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova, and 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina facing Paolini.

With so many talented players in the field, the U.S. Open 2024 promises to be an unforgettable tournament filled with excitement and high-level competition.