Novak Djokovic is once again the name on everyone’s lips as the US Open draws near. After his triumphant run at the Paris Olympics, the tennis legend is eyeing his 25th Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows. With the kind of form he’s in, you’d think he’s ready to take on anyone—but the draw seems to be easing his path this time around. And while that might sound like a dream scenario for Djokovic, it’s stirred up quite a bit of chatter among fans.

Djokovic will be facing one of the players from the qualifiers in the first round. Going ahead, he will face the likes of Jan-Lennard Struff and Alexei Popyrin in the tournament. Remember, all these players are ranked much lower than the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the ATP ranking, which would give him an edge in the tournament. This seems to have created some sort of unhappiness amongst the tennis enthusiasts.

Taking to X, several fans expressed their disappointment over the easy draw that Nole will be subjected to this year. Fans believe that for a player of his stature, the matches could have been difficult as otherwise, he would have an easy run for the finals. Many responded to the post from the official account of the US Open and critiqued the planning.

One step closer.

The US Open men’s singles draw is out! pic.twitter.com/gM38w7oapj

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 22, 2024

However, as the backlashes continue, it would be interesting to see if the star player can be subjected to some challenges by his opponents in the tournament.

Novak Djokovic’s ‘easiest path’ to US Open finals draws flak from fans

As soon as the US Open’s post went viral, several fans criticized the draw. “Djokovics juj is unbeatable! Another easy draw,” a user wrote. This is not the first time when a draw of Nole received criticism. During the French Open this year, the Serb witnessed very little challenge in his campaign. He faced players ranked much lower than him like Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Lorenzo Musetti. This had made several fans come out to slam the organizers. Nole too was seen using the draw in his favor, as he advanced till the quarters before withdrawing due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. The series of backlashes continued.

Easiest path to a final ever for Novak.

— Jamie Webster (@jamiejwebster7) August 22, 2024

Responding to the post, another user wrote, “Easiest path to a final ever for Novak.” While Struff is ranked 36, Alexei Popyrin is positioned at 28 in the ATP rankings. Novak Djokovic is likely to face both of them in the second and third rounds of the tournament, respectively. He might also face Ben Shelton in the fourth round of the tournament. Interestingly, none of the three players have ever won a match against the Serbian Maestro in their professional tour so far. Other users, meanwhile, sympathized with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

“Djokovic’s luck is something else – Sinner & Alcaraz same half for the 3rd slam in a Row 😭😭” a user wrote on X. Both Sinner and Alcaraz have some crucial challenges to overcome this tournament. While the Italian might face players like Tommy Paul and Daniil Medvedev if he advances ahead, Alcaraz might receive challenges from Denis Shapovalov and Alex De Minaur. Besides, both the players might end up facing each other if they manage to cruise through the semi-finals. Nonetheless, surprise over Djokovic’s draw continued.

Another user responded similarly and wrote, “Phenomenal draw for Djoković.  He will cruise to the Final!!” Djokovic is on a sensational run this season. Despite undergoing surgery after limping out of the French Open in June, he made a sensational comeback to win the Wimbledon title. Besides, his grand stature and 24 titles, out of which four came at the American hard courts,  further make him a favorite to cruise past his opponents and reach the finals at the US Open.

Novak is the luckiest stat padder of all time

— Mike 🏁 (@MikeTXXi) August 22, 2024

One more user simply highlighted the luck of the Serb and wrote, “Sinner and Alcaraz cooked in draws. Easy draw for Djokovic as usual.” But the aura of such grand events is not easy. With the high stakes that the US Open involves, it would be interesting to see if Nole can actually outshine his opponents and add the 25th Grand Slam glory to his glorious hat.