US Open Tennis 2021: TV Schedule and Men's Semifinal Predictions

Novak Djokovic has a chance to avenge one of his rare losses during 2021 in the U.S. Open men's singles semifinals Friday.

Djokovic lost out on achieving the Golden Slam—winning all four majors and the Olympics—after he fell to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.

The German went on to win the gold medal in Tokyo and has not lost in the two tournaments since his return from Japan. He is on a 16-match winning streak and should give Djokovic his toughest test of the U.S. Open.

Djokovic and Zverev will take center stage inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for the night match in the semifinal round at 7 p.m. ET. No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev and No. 12 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime get the semifinal play started at 3 p.m. ET.

Both matches can be viewed on ESPN and live-streamed on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.

Men's Semifinal Predictions

No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 4 Alexander Zverev

Zverev has the best opportunity of his career to beat Djokovic at a Grand Slam.

The No. 4 seed is in his best form this season and has been impressive throughout his two weeks in New York City.

Zverev lost a single set in the first five rounds. He stumbled in the first set of the third round against Jack Sock but rebounded by winning the next two frames by five combined games before Sock retired early in the fourth set.

The German has made it to the semifinals at three of the past four hard-court majors. He came back from two sets down to beat Pablo Carreno Busta at this stage of the U.S. Open in 2020.

Zverev should be well-rested after a straight-sets victory over Lloyd Harris in the quarterfinals in which he did not face too much of a threat.

Djokovic, meanwhile, comes into Friday with a 6-3 edge on Zverev in their head-to-head meetings, but the most recent head-to-head resulted in a come-from-behind win for the German at the Olympics.

The top-seeded Serb has looked vulnerable on occasion during his time in New York, notably losing the first set in each of his past three matches. However, Djokovic responded to each of those concessions by beating Kei Nishikori, Jenson Brooksby and Matteo Berrettini by three games or more in each of the next three sets.

If Zverev picks up a first-set win over Djokovic, though, the same result may not happen given the form the No. 4 seed is in.

Zverev must win the opening set to shift the pressure on to Djokovic's shoulders. The No. 4 seed fell in the opening set to Djokovic at the Olympics, but he may have a tougher time coming back against Djokovic were the same to happen Friday since the top seed will be wary of his ability to recover. Zverev will put up a fight and win at least one set, but he can't let Djokovic engineer any major momentum shifts.

Djokovic should be favored to win until a member of the younger generation beats him in a Grand Slam. Friday might be the best chance any of those players has to beat him at this level before Father Time takes its toll, but until the 34-year-old loses in such a fashion, it is hard to pick against him.

Prediction: Djokovic in four sets. 

No. 2 Daniil Medvedev vs. No. 12 Felix Auger-Aliassime

Medvedev entered New York as the top threat to Djokovic's season-long Grand Slam.

The No. 2 is one of the best hard-court players on the ATP Tour, and he proved his ability with four straight three-set wins to begin the U.S. Open.

Medvedev dropped his first set of the event in the quarterfinals to Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp, but that should not be a cause for concern. The four-time Grand Slam semifinalist fended off the threat of the Dutchman in the fourth set to move on to his third straight U.S. Open semifinal.

Auger-Aliassime took a much more difficult path to the final four. He was involved in three matches that went at least four sets in the first four rounds. He got into the semifinals after Carlos Alcaraz retired in the second set of their quarterfinal matchup.

If anything, the Canadian will be well-rested for his showdown with Medvedev because he did not expend too much energy Tuesday night. However, there is no edge in fitness when you consider Medvedev was the first player to book a semifinal spot Tuesday afternoon and has spent the least amount of time on court than any other man left in the draw.

Medvedev won his lone meeting with Auger-Aliassime, but not much can be taken from that match since it occurred in 2018.

Medvedev is 2-1 in Grand Slam semifinal matches, and all of them finished in three sets. He beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in his most recent venture to this stage at the 2021 Australian Open.

The Russian carries more experience than his opponent at this stage of a major, and he is in solid form. He should beat Auger-Aliassime to set up a fantastic final against Djokovic.

Prediction: Medvedev wins in four sets.