3 players not named Djokovic, Alcaraz who have a shot at winning the 2023 US Open

1. Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev is the one player on this list who has already won a major tournament in their career. As a matter of fact, he won the US Open in 2021, defeating Novak Djokovic. Not only did he beat Djokovic, he did so in a way we are not accustomed to seeing The Joker lose. The final score of the match was 6-4, 6—4, 6-4, with Medvedev winning in straight sets and ruining Djokovic’s chance at the historic calendar-year Grand Slam. However, Djokovic still has the edge in the head-to-head matchup, winning nine out of the 14 they have played.

Medvedev has played against Alcaraz three times in his career, going 1-2 in said matches and losing each of the last two. The Russian drew first blood in their initial match at Wimbledon in 2021, but the Spaniard has had his number in 2023. Alcaraz most recently clobbered Medvedev, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinals of this year’s Wimbledon tournament.

In 60 matches this season, Medvedev is 49-11. He has been virtually unbeatable on hard courts, going 32-5 in 37 matches. The ATP No. 3 ranked player has five titles to show for his extremely successful campaign and will look to make it six in New York.

Medvedev uses his six-foot-six frame to excel at covering every inch of the court and does an incredible job of moving from baseline to baseline. He is patient and doesn’t make mistakes, forcing his opponents to have to try to beat him instead of letting the game come to them.

The world No. 3 is a brick wall on the defense with a decisive first serve and impressive backhand. He has won this tournament before and has had more success than almost anyone else against Djokovic/Alcaraz. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him win the second US Open title of his career.