The US Open draw placed Carlos Alcaraz in Novak Djokovic's half, but the Serbian's campaign does not begin with the semifinal everyone can already imagine. It begins against Mariano Navone and could produce, as early as the second round, a memory-heavy reunion with Stan Wawrinka or a power contest with Matteo Berrettini.

Djokovic arrives in New York as the fourth seed, age 39, pursuing a 25th major title and a fifth US Open trophy. His most recent Grand Slam title came at this very tournament in 2023. Every major draw now turns that historic ambition into the central subject, but no campaign can be completed all at once.

Navone is the first obstacle. If Djokovic advances, he will meet the winner of Berrettini and Wawrinka. The Swiss is playing the final major of his career and returns 10 years after his 2016 title, won by defeating Djokovic in the final. The bracket does not guarantee a rematch, but it has restored the possibility on the same stage.

Beyond that, the seedings project Brandon Nakashima in the fourth round and Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals. Nakashima enters New York at a career-high ranking after an excellent U.S. hard-court summer. Medvedev is one of five former champions packed into this half and beat Djokovic in the 2021 final, when the Serbian was pursuing the calendar Grand Slam.

Only then does Alcaraz appear. Their head-to-head series is tied at 5-5, and the Spaniard won their only meeting of 2026 in the Australian Open final. In New York, however, Alcaraz carries his own uncertainty: the opening match against Roman Safiullin will be his first official contest since April following a right wrist injury.

Jannik Sinner's absence reshaped the entire draw. The World No. 1 withdrew because of a right knee injury, Alexander Zverev became the top seed and Alcaraz moved into the No. 2 position. Zverev landed in the top half, while every former US Open champion in the field — Djokovic, Alcaraz, Medvedev, Wawrinka and Marin Cilic — was concentrated in the bottom half.

That structure makes Djokovic's route difficult, but also unusually connected to his own New York history. Wawrinka and Medvedev represent two lost finals; Alcaraz represents the current rivalry and Djokovic's most recent defeat in a major championship match. Every possible opponent offers a familiar story, even though each match must be won in the present.

The bracket also warns against shortcuts. Berrettini can prevent the Wawrinka reunion. Nakashima, Andrey Rublev and Cilic occupy the fourth-round corridor. Medvedev must survive his own section. Alcaraz shares the final quarter with Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils, the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters 1000 champions.

For Djokovic, then, the tournament is not a direct race toward Alcaraz. It is a sequence of tangible problems: opening-day tension, a second-round opponent with either a major serve or enormous symbolism, and a half crowded with champions. If the dream semifinal happens, it will be because he turned every memory into one more victory.

Sources consulted: ATP Tour and the US Open/USTA. Reporting updated August 28, 2026.