Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and several other tennis players participated in pickleball events in New York ahead of the 2024 US Open. Djokovic and Sinner played the racket sport at the same event while Alcaraz was part of a different one.
At an event called The HEAD NYC Mash Up, Djokovic, Sinner, and Barbora Krejcikova joined pro pickleball player Callie Jo Smith. The quartet played doubles with Sinner teaming up with Smith and Djokovic getting along with the reigning Wimbledon champion.
Watch them play pickleball below:
The event was sponsored by the racket company, Head. All the players participating in the event and other top players such as Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev use its rackets.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz also participated in a pickleball event in New York. He was seen playing with American No. 1 Taylor Fritz. The duo played with pro pickleball players Eric Oncins and Milan Rane.
Watch Alcaraz and Fritz play pickleball below:
Notably, the event was sponsored by Miami Pickleball Club. They are backed by the likes of top tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios, along with NFL legend Patrick Mahomes.
Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz's US Open 2024 1R opponents
The 2024 US Open draws were unveiled on Thursday, August 22. In the men's singles event, Jannik Sinner is the top seed followed by Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner will take on Mackenzie McDonald in the first round. It will be their fourth meeting on tour. The Italian leads their head-to-head 3-0. They have played against each other once each year since 2021 and their most recent encounter was at the Paris Masters last year, which Sinner won 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-1.
Djokovic will take on qualifier Radu Albot in the first round. The Moldovan is a 34-year-old veteran but he does not have a great record against the top players. Albot is 0-11 in his matches against the Top 10 players. Further, he has a 5-6 record in main draws this year, and his best outing at the US Open has been a third-round exit. This will be the first time he faces Djokovic on tour.
Alcaraz will also take on a qualifier in the first round: 28-year-old Australian player Li Tu. The Aussie will be making his main draw debut against the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion. This will be the first encounter between the pair on tour.
Djokovic will open his campaign on Monday, August 26, while Sinner and Alcaraz will play on Tuesday, August 27.
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