"Carlos is playing spectacular tennis, but I don't dare say he is the favorite," says Ferrero ahead of Alcaraz's match against Djokovic at the US Open

The first semifinal matchup of the 2025 US Open is set. It will pit Carlos Alcaraz against Novak Djokovic. The two have already had legendary clashes in the past and will meet for the ninth time on the main tour.

So far, Djokovic leads 5 wins to 3, and the last match between the two dates back to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this season. Despite being injured in the hamstrings, the Serbian managed to neutralize the Spaniard to win in four sets.

As Alcaraz's coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero knows this match will not be easy. The former world number one even believes Djokovic is the favorite for the match taking place on Friday.

"Carlos (Alcaraz) is playing spectacular tennis, but I don't dare say he is the favorite. Novak (Djokovic) will give everything, it won't be easy. In Australia, they played at night, which slightly favored Novak, who played a bit flatter.

I think if the match takes place during the day here, the conditions would be better for us. What will surely make the difference is consistency; we've worked on that, and Carlos has improved in that area.

After that, we must not be obsessed with Novak. Carlos must believe in himself and try to push Djokovic to the limit until the pace imposed by Carlos makes the match physically difficult for him," Ferrero told Onda Regional.