Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have been handed difficult draws at their next tournaments following the Laver Cup. Alcaraz helped Team Europe to regain the trophy with a 13-5 triumph against Team World at the O2 Arena over the weekend. Djokovic wasn't involved in the Laver Cup this year, but is preparing to return to action at the China Open in Beijing later this week.
Djokovic's path in Beijing
Djokovic will face Nuno Borges in the opening round, with the Portuguese player looking to secure his first career victory over Djokovic. They previously met in the quarter-finals of the Athens Open last year, a match that saw Djokovic prevail in straight sets.
If he manages to get past Borges, he will face either Juan Manuel Cerundolo or wildcard Yunchaokete Bu in the second round. A potential quarter-final meeting with Alexander Zverev could await Djokovic, with Daniil Medvedev his projected semi-final opponent and Felix Auger-Aliassime likely to meet him in the final, if the second seed gets that far.
It will certainly be tough for Djokovic to win the tournament based on that draw as he looks to bounce back from his surprise first-round exit at the US Open.
Alcaraz's route in Tokyo
Alcaraz, meanwhile, has been handed a similarly difficult draw at the Japan Open in Tokyo, which also gets underway this week. He will face Alex Michelsen in the first round before a potential second-round clash against Matteo Arnaldi, followed by Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals.
Alcaraz is projected to go up against Taylor Fritz in the last four, and if he makes it to the final, he could be pitted against US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe. The young Spaniard also suffered an early exit in New York, bowing out in the quarter-finals at the hands of eventual runner-up Ben Shelton.
However, he will be buoyed by his Laver Cup triumph with Team Europe over the weekend, winning both of his matches at the O2 Arena. Alcaraz teamed up with Jakub Mensik to defeat Taylor Fritz and Alexander Bublik in doubles, before overcoming Fritz via a third-set tiebreak in their singles encounter.
