Five U.S. Open Players Who Will Benefit the Most From Novak Djokovic's Stunning Upset

It didn’t take long for the 2026 U.S. Open to deliver a stunner, as 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic, his body failing him, stunningly bowed out in the first round. Clay-court specialist Mariano Navone defeated Djokovic in five sets on Arthur Ashe on Sunday night.

Just as it did at Roland Garros three months ago, Djokovic’s uncharacteristic early loss at a major invited plenty of questions about his future, particularly given how laborious the four-hour, 36-minute match was for the 39-year-old.

Perhaps even more consequential, the Djokovic loss further creaks open the already-ajar door for contenders just a tier below the Serbian tennis star. To be clear, Djokovic’s ousting makes life easier for the returning Carlos Alcaraz, as well as No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev, each of whom has been thwarted by Djokovic at majors in the past.

But Djokovic’s loss is a gain for these five men in particular at Flushing Meadows.

Daniil Medvedev

With racket smashes and half-joking threats to quit tennis in favor of distant cousin pickleball, Medvedev has had an eventful, if torturous, year on the tennis court. He’s often his own worst enemy as much as his own opponent, though few in the sport possess his ceiling. To that end, he’s the only man in the top 10 outside of Djokovic, Alcaraz, Zverev and Jannik Sinner to win a major.

Medvedev has had a shaky run-up to the U.S. Open this hard-court season, but Flushing Meadows is his happy place. With a Djokovic-free path through the quarterfinals, could Medvedev rediscover himself in New York five years after his first triumph?

Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe has always fared better on hard courts, particularly the hard courts in New York, where he’s twice made a run to the semifinals in 2022 and ’24. Both of those runs came without the inevitability of Djokovic looming over the entire draw.

Plus, with Sinner sidelined and Alcaraz’s form somewhat unknown after missing nearly half the year due to injury, the draw was already for the taking before Djokovic’s early exit.

Tiafoe is one of the hopefuls looking to end a 23-year major title drought for American men. After rolling to the Cincinnati final on the heels of four top-20 wins, Tiafoe is seemingly peaking at the right time and poised to benefit from a Djokovic-free quarter.

Brandon Nakashima

Few had a better hard-court season than Nakashima, who is tied with fellow 20-something Arthur Fils for the most wins on the surface this year. He has the tools—a whipcrack of a forehand and big serve—to excel at the U.S. Open. He now has the right coach—former world No. 6 Wayne Ferreira, who has helped elevate his game against the best players in the world—in his corner.

And the Sinner-less—and now Djokovic-less—draw seems to be breaking just right for Nakashima to potentially advance past the fourth round for the first time at the U.S. Open.

Ben Shelton

It’s no surprise that Shelton, one of the biggest servers and hitters from the baseline on the tour, has fared best on the hard courts, where he’s advanced to the semifinal at the U.S. Open (2023).

He hasn’t had as good a year at the majors as he did last season, but if any player was built to thrive on the energy at the vibrant Flushing Meadows, it’s the fiery Shelton. He’ll have to navigate a tough draw that includes a possible showdown with Alcaraz, but the opportunity is there for Shelton, fresh off a title defense in Montreal.

It was Djokovic who once left Shelton’s 2023 U.S. Open run on a dial tone with an abrupt straight-sets defeat in the semifinals. With Djokovic eliminated, the phone is back on the hook for Shelton.

Taylor Fritz

When the cat is away, the mice will play. All due respect to Taylor Fritz, an 11-time singles title winner and top-10 player, but his clashes with Djokovic have been akin to the relationship a feline has with the pesky household rodent. Djokovic has beaten Fritz in all 11 of their meetings. It’s no coincidence that Fritz’s best U.S. Open run—he advanced to the final two years ago—came when Djokovic bowed out in the third round.

There are potential land mines in Fritz’s draw in the form of French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli, 2025 U.S. Open semifinalist Félix Auger-Aliassime, and French Open champion Zverev.

But should Fritz manage to navigate his way to the final once again, he at least needn’t worry that the previously unbeatable Djokovic will be waiting for him.

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