Novak Djokovic is set for a return to the US Open after the US senate voted to eliminate some of the COVID-19 restrictions.

The restrictions have been in place for the last two years which have denied foreign travellers the chance to visit America if they are unvaccinated.

As is well documented Djokovic hasn’t had his vaccination which is the reason for his absence at Indian Wells and Miami.

However Djokovic could be set to return to America after the US senate passed a bill to eliminate the COVID-19 restrictions in the country.

US president Joe Biden is expected to put the final signature on the bill which will then allow unvaccinated travellers from abroad to enter the country.

This means that Djokovic will be allowed to play the US Open for the first time since the 2021 final where he missed out on the chance to complete the calendar Grand Slam after losing to Daniil Medvedev.

Djokovic will look to win a fourth US Open title when he returns to Flushing Meadows on the 28th of August.

However in the short-term, Djokovic will look to reclaim his world number one ranking over the clay court season as he plays Monte-Carlo on the 9th of April.

Jannik Sinner has already established himself as one of the world’s top players but he admits there is still plenty of room for improvement.

The 21-year-old is ranked 11th in the world rankings and is the third-youngest player in the ATP top 20 after Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune. So far in his career, he has reached the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments, won seven Tour titles and recorded 11 victories over top-10 players. This season he has reached the last eight or better in five out of seven tournaments played and has a perfect 14-0 winning record against players ranked outside the top 50. 

Sinner’s latest strong run has been at this week’s Miami Open where he secured his place in the semi-finals on Wednesday by defeating Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 6-1. One particularly impressive stat from his latest match concerns the Italian’s serving. He won 95% (21/22) of his first service points and only faced one break point which he successfully saved. Speaking afterwards, Sinner said it is an area of his game that he continues to work on. 

”I think we (his team) have improved a lot the serve. I still have days where I struggle a little bit more. I have days where I serve very well,” he said. 
“I felt like against Andrey (Rublev) I served well in the round before. But also (against Ruusuvuori) I served good. Especially in the important moments when he had a breakpoint, I served well there.’
“But still there is a lot of work to do. We tried to find the right motion, the right toss and the right tempo. Not serve every ball in the same motion and then changing the ball a little bit.”

Sinner is the first to admit there are still areas in his game that he needs to improve to reach the very top of men’s tennis or win a Grand Slam title. He is currently coached on the Tour by Darren Cahill who was the former mentor of Simona Halep, Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt. The two began working together last summer after Sinner ended his collaboration with Riccardo Piatti.  

“I feel like I can serve much better. Physically I can get stronger. Also my forehand and backhand,” he replied when asked what he would like to improve. 
“I’m trying to go more to the net because I am already doing a lot of this in my practice sessions but I have to do it also in matches.”

So how good can Sinner become in the future? According to his coach Cahill, he has what it takes to become world No.1. Something which has never been achieved by an Italian player on the ATP Tour in the Open Era. 

“Jannik has everything to become No 1 in the world. Before my arrival he was already a great player, among the top 10 in the rankings: he has incredible weapons and was well trained,” Cahill told La Repubblica.
“Now we need to watch his matches against the best tennis players around and understand what’s keeping him from beating them. Then work on it. It definitely takes time, a couple of years and many match situations.”

In Miami, Sinner will face either Alcaraz or Taylor Fritz for a place in the final. He trails the Spaniard 2-3 in their head-to-head but is yet to play against Fritz on the Tour. 

On Wednesday in Miami, 2023 Indian Wells champion Carlos Alcaraz faces 2022 champ Taylor Fritz for the first time.

Alcaraz is just three wins away from defending his Miami title, which he needs to do in order to remain World No.1.  Wednesday’s other ATP quarterfinal sees Indian Wells semifinalist Jannik Sinner take on Emil Ruusuvuori, who is the first Finnish quarterfinalist at a Masters 1000 tournament in a decade.

In the WTA singles draw, Aryna Sabalenka and Petra Kvitova are one round away from a big-hitting semifinal.  But first, they must get past Sorana Cirstea and Ekaterina Alexandrova, respectively.

Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule.  Wednesday’s play gets underway at 1:00pm local time.

Ekaterina Alexandrova (18) vs. Petra Kvitova (15) – Not Before 7:00pm on Stadium

Kvitova is 14-5 this season, and has now reached the quarterfinals of both Indian Wells and Miami this month.  Petra has also now advanced to the fourth round or better of this event for the fifth straight time, and has not dropped a set this fortnight.

Alexandrova had a losing record this year before arriving in Miami.  She defeated Belinda Bencic two rounds ago, and advanced in the last round after Bianca Andreescu’s upsetting ankle injury.  This is Ekaterina’s second WTA 1000 quarterfinal, after first achieving that feat last year in Madrid, when she advanced to the semifinals.

Their only previous encounter occurred three years ago at the Australian Open, when Kvitova comfortably prevailed 6-1, 6-2.  Ekaterina does not possess the same offensive weaponry of Petra, so on a hard court, the two-time Wimbledon champion is a considerable favorite to win again on Wednesday.

Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Taylor Fritz (9) – Not Before 8:30pm on Stadium

Alcaraz is 17-1 on the season, despite missing all of January due to injury.  His only loss came to Cam Norrie in the final of Rio, a match in which Carlitos reaggravated his leg injury.  He’s yet to drop a set during this tournament.

Fritz is 20-5 in 2023, and has now reached the quarterfinals or better at his last five events.  This is Taylor’s first quarterfinal in Miami, and his third consecutive quarterfinal as Masters 1000 events in North America.  Like Alcaraz, he’s also yet to lose a set in Miami, but he’s 1-4 in his last five Masters quarterfinals.

This is the first career meeting between the World No.1 and the American No.1.  Fritz certainly has the firepower to threaten Alcaraz on this day.  But based on Carlitos’ recent sharp form, the 19-year-old is the favorite to advance to the semifinals.

Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:

Sorana Cirstea vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka is now a stellar 20-2 on the year, and has allowed her opponents this past week an average of just 2.5 games per set.  Cirstea is having an excellent March, having advanced to her second consecutive WTA 1000 quarterfinal, a stage she hadn’t reached since 2017.  This is another first-time career meeting.

Emil Ruusuvuori vs. Jannik Sinner (10) – Sinner is vying for his second consecutive Masters semifinal, and has not dropped a set thus far in Miami.  This is Ruuuvuori’s maiden Masters 1000 quarterfinal, at the only Masters event where he had ever previously advanced beyond the third round.  Jannik is 4-0 against Emil, with all of those wins in straight sets, except a match in Miami a year ago that went to a third-set tiebreak, and saw Sinner save three match points.

Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.