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Novak Djokovic is heavily favored ahead of the semifinals of the U.S. Open to become the first male player to complete a calendar-year sweep of the four Grand Slam events since Australia’s Rod Laver in 1969.

But his quest for history still includes two major obstacles.



The first comes in the form of Germany’s Alexander Zverev. The 2020 U.S. Open finalist has won 16 consecutive matches and has dropped only one set through his first five matches in Flushing Meadows this year.

That’s three fewer than Djokovic, who dropped a set in his opener and has lost the first set in each of his past three matches. However, the top-ranked Serbian has not lost more than three games in any other 15 sets he has played through five matches.

Marquee Semifinal Matchup

Djokovic is the -260 favorite at DraftKings to get past Zverev (+195), who will be appearing in his fourth Grand Slam final.

“I played the final here last year in front of exactly six people,” Zverev said. “That was a little bit weird for me but it’s incredible to have the New York crowd back. I think the energy of the stadium, the energy of the people, we missed it for over a year all over the world,” Zverev said.

Djokovic has been backed by 82 percent of the handle and 80 percent of the total bets ahead of the semifinal clash with Zverev, who is the third favorite to claim the men’s singles title at +450.

That’s behind second-seeded Daniil Medvedev (+210 to win the title), who will face surprise semifinalist Felix Auger-Aliassime (+2500).

Medvedev is the heavy -650 favorite to win the match and is backed by 71 percent of the bets at DraftKings. However, the book has seen some big bets on the 12th-seeded Canadian, with Auger-Aliassime backed by 57 percent of the handle ahead of his first career grand slam semifinal.

Experience Vs. Youth

Djokovic has 20 career major titles – 20 more than the other three semifinalists combined.

Medvedev has reached the U.S. Open semifinals for the third consecutive year, dropping only one set along the way. He also has had a relatively easy bracket, with his only win against a seeded player thus far coming against No. 24 Daniel Evans in the Round of 16.

Medvedev lost in the 2019 final to Rafael Nadal and fell in last year’s semifinals to eventual champ Dominic Thiem.

“I just want to do a little bit better than the last two times and get over this last little step, which is the toughest one,” Medvedev said after beating qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)