Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Martin Del Potro: Why US Open Is Djoker's to Lose

Novak Djokovic’s quest for a repeat U.S. Open championship was thought to be the toughest task of his career to date.

Now, with Roger Federer void from the field and Rafael Nadal nowhere to be found, Djoker’s greatest foes will be sitting at home in the quarterfinals.

Flushing Meadows has become his to lose. Juan Martin del Potro looked to play spoiler in Friday’s matchup, but to no avail.

Del Potro is no slouch either. Casual fans may not remember him, but it was only four years prior that he took home the U.S. Open title.

A win over the dangerous Del Potro has Djoker’s eyes wandering over to the opposite side of the bracket, where a matchup with Andy Murray seems to be in the cards.

Murray is currently two wins away from the biggest final of his life. Standing in the way of a finals bid is no better than a six seed. It’s good to be Andy Murray today.

Djoker cannot have a say in Murray’s fate until a potential finals matchup. Whether that comes along or not, Novak has the odds on his side of the net.

He already has a finals win over Murray in the 2011 Australian Open, not to mention an 8-6 match record against the the Brit. Murray’s confidence is sky-high from the Olympic Games, but Djokovic has yet to face Murray this year.

Clearly, both players have the ability to beat the other on their best day. The mystery will be who wins out on the bigger stage.

The chalk always sounds better in principle. Djokovic has experience and wins to back it up.