The former Swiss tennis star shared one of the greatest rivalries in history with ‘Nole,’ playing a total of 50 matches, with Djokovic holding a 27-23 record. With 20 Grand Slam titles, including five at the US Open, Federer is one of the most authoritative voices to predict a possible champion.
Djokovic is aiming for his 24th Grand Slam crown and has already reached the semifinals with a convincing victory over Taylor Fritz (6-1, 6-4, 6-4). This marks Djokovic’s 47th Grand Slam semifinal, surpassing Federer’s previous record of 46.
The top favorites, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, are the main contenders for this year’s title. Alcaraz is the defending champion and recently defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. However, Djokovic got the better of the world No. 1 just two weeks ago in the Cincinnati Open final.
Federer revealed his favorite to win the title at Flushing Meadows during an interview with Sports Illustrated Deutschland.
“I would bet on Novak Djokovic. That’s a safe bet,”
Federer achieved the incredible feat of winning 5 consecutive championships at the US Open between 2004 and 2008. In one of those victories in 2007, he defeated Novak Djokovic, who was playing his first Grand Slam final.
Novak Djokovic later got his revenge against Federer, winning his second US Open title by defeating the Swiss in the 2015 final. Additionally, they faced each other three more times in different rounds of the same tournament, with Federer securing three victories against Djokovic’s two.
In pursuit of a spot in the final, ‘Nole’ will be facing the young star Ben Shelton, the last hope for Americans to secure the men’s title. The 20-year-old tennis player has surprised once again in a Grand Slam, just as he did in his campaign at the Australian Open.
This will be Shelton’s first semifinal, and in his last two matches, he defeated his fellow countrymen, 14th seed Tommy Paul and 10th seed Frances Tiafoe.
