Preview:US Open: Novak Djokovic vs. Cameron Norrie - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Cameron Norrie has another shot at solving his Novak Djokovic riddle when both players face off in the third round of the US Open on Friday.

Djokovic, chasing a historic 25th Grand Slam, has yet to hit his best level in the opening two rounds, while his British opponent survived a four-hour battle last time out to outlast Francisco Comesana.

Match preview

Djokovic always seems to achieve one new feat after victories these days, and another milestone was hit after Wednesday’s second-round triumph over Zachary Svajda to secure a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win.

That success brought the 38-year-old Serbian’s wins at the hard-court Slams to 191, equalling Roger Federer, and the four-time US Open champion is one triumph away from being the standalone holder of that feat.

While the 24-time Slam winner is the favourite to clinch that 192nd win against Norrie, his task could become complicated if there is no improvement in his performance after intermittent struggles in the opening two rounds.

Learner Tien failed to capitalise on Djokovic’s physical struggles in set two of their first-round match, while Svajda took the first-set tie-break and was a break up in the third before significantly dipping physically to lose in four sets.

Superior, more experienced players might have made the sport’s greatest player sweat, but there is an argument to suggest that the 38-year-old is well-versed in raising his game to win ugly, regardless of the opponent.

Given Djokovic’s generally average performances so far, it will be interesting to see whether Friday’s opponent can replicate Alexei Popyrin’s feat from last year, when he shocked the four-time US Open winner at this stage.

Norrie has never defeated the Serbian on the men’s tour, but the British player showed his battling qualities to outlast Comesana in Wednesday’s tale of three tiebreaks.

The 30-year-old won two of three shootouts to claim a 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-7(0), 7-6(4) win after four hours to advance to the tournament's third round for the fourth time in his career and in his third consecutive appearance after 2022 and 2023.

However, Norrie has only progressed past this stage once — in 2022 — when he defeated Holger Rune in straight sets, a win sandwiched by losses to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in 2020 and Matteo Arnaldi in 2023.

Aiming to kill two birds with one stone, the Brit seeks to emulate his 2022 feat by defeating his Serbian bete noire.

That would see the five-time ATP champion improve his 11-7 career record in the United States, where his tally of wins falls below only his 15 at Wimbledon.

Tournament so far

Novak Djokovic:

First round: vs. Learner Tien 6-1 7-6(3) 6-2

Second round: vs. Zachary Svajda 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3 6-1

Cameron Norrie:

First round: vs. Sebastian Korda 7-5 6-4 ret.

Second round: vs. Francisco Comesana 7-6(5) 6-3 6-7(0) 7-6(4)

Head To Head

French Open (2025) – Fourth round: Djokovic 6-2 6-3 6-2

Geneva (2025) - Semi-final: Djokovic 6-4 6-7(6) 6-1

Davis Cup (2023) - Round Robin: Djokovic 6-4 6-4

Rome Masters (2023) - Round of 16: Djokovic 6-3 6-4

Wimbledon (2022) - Semi-final: Djokovic 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4

ATP Finals (2021) - Round Robin: Djokovic 6-2 6-1

Djokovic leads Norrie 6-0 in their lopsided head-to-head on the ATP Tour, and the Serbian is the favourite to secure a seventh.

In those six encounters, the British player has won only two sets — in the 2022 Wimbledon semi-final and more recently on the clay courts in Geneva — highlighting the Serb's dominance in this particular matchup.

The 38-year-old has won their two Grand Slam matches at Wimbledon and recently at Roland Garros and aims to beat the 30-year-old at a hard-court major, having previously triumphed on the surface at the ATP Finals (2021) and Davis Cup (2023).

We say: Djokovic to win in four sets

Although a straight-sets victory for Djokovic would not be unexpected, the Serbian, who had not played since Wimbledon, has yet to find his top form, giving Norrie a chance to take a set.

However, the Brit is unlikely to end his Djokovic hoodoo, with the 24-time Slam champion favoured to succeed and reach the fourth round.