There can be little doubt that Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are far and away the top two tennis players in the world right now.

Both men have had an extraordinarily successful 2023 each, with the veteran Djokovic continuing to blow away almost every opponent he comes up against, regardless of the surface. Meanwhile, despite his relative youth at just 20 years of age, Alcaraz has enjoyed a meteoric rise that has shown little sign of slowing down any time soon.

With the two vying for the US Open title in the final Grand Slam of this year's calendar, GIVEMESPORT takes a look at each player's record, their history in this tournament, their odds of making it all the way, and their potential route to glory.

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz 2023 Grand Slam Record

Novak Djokovic undoubtedly had the better start to the year of the two, with the Serb seeing his Spanish rival pull out of the first Grand Slam of 2023 - the Australian Open - due to a hamstring injury in his right leg during training. That left the door open for Djokovic to march through to the final, where he came up against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Greek gave him a tough run, forcing two tiebreaks, but Djokovic came through relatively easily in the end with a straight sets victory that earned him his 10th Australian Open win. It also put him level with Rafael Nadal for major wins, as he reached the number 22 mark, equalling the Spaniard's all-time record.

At the next Grand Slam, the French Open, the two met at a major tournament for the first time that year, coming up against one another in the semi-finals at Roland Garros. In what was a hugely anticipated match, Djokovic came out the victor, winning by three sets to one; after a tense first two sets, Alcaraz crumbled in the third and fourth, losing each 6-1.

Djokovic went on to win the tournament, beating Norwegian Casper Ruud in the final, and in the process he became the outright record holder for the number of major wins in the open era of tennis.

Fast-forward a couple of months and the grass season was in full flow - arguably Djokovic's premier surface. The two were put on opposite sides of the draw, meaning they couldn't meet until the final, and that they did in what turned out to be an all-time classic at Wimbledon.

Read More: Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz & Rafael Nadal's winning moments are so similar

After losing the first set 6-1, Alcaraz fought back to win the second in a tense tiebreak, before putting his opponent to the sword with an equivalent 6-1 triumph in the third. Not to be outdone, Djokovic won the fourth 6-3, sending it to a decisive fifth set, which saw some of the highest quality tennis the two had ever played.

In the end, it was the youngster who snatched the victory, condemning Djokovic to his first loss at a Wimbledon final since 2013, and preventing the Serb from lifting the trophy five times in succession.

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz 2023 Overall Record

Turning to the overall record of the two throughout this year, and it has been a close competition between the two when it comes to tournaments outside of the traditional Grand Slams.

Djokovic began the year as he left 2022, by winning tournaments, lifting the trophy at the Adelaide International in January, including saving a match point in the final. Alcaraz won his own hard court title himself, beating Briton Cameron Norrie in the final of the Argentina Open, putting the pair at one apiece for titles in 2023.

Read More: Carlos Alcaraz's stats compared to Djokovic, Nadal & Federer at same age

Carlos Alcaraz then won the prestigious Indian Wells tournament in the United States, beating no.2 seed Daniil Medvedev, although Djokovic did not enter the tournament due to US COVID-19 vaccine visa requirements.

During the clay court season, Alcaraz picked up another two trophies, this time in his native Spain, winning both the Barcelona and Madrid Open - though, again, neither tournament saw Djokovic enter.

Moving into the summer months and Alcaraz enjoyed a successful warm-up tournament before his Wimbledon victory, winning the famous Queen's Club Championships in London. Finally, Djokovic got some revenge for the Wimbledon final just a couple of weeks ago, as he defeated Alcaraz in the final of the Cincinatti Open in a marathon match that lasted nearly four hours - the longest final in ATP history.

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz US Open Record

Given he is still just 20 years old, it is perhaps unsurprising that Carlos Alcaraz has very little experience at the US Open, and at Grand Slams in general for that matter.

He played in his first New York tournament in 2021, reaching the quarter-finals, but was forced to retire midway through the second set due to a pain in his right leg, which he said had been caused by fatigue from long matches in previous rounds. That said, he blew away the competition just a year later, winning the tournament to mark his first ever Grand Slam title - albeit with an absent Novak Djokovic due to aforementioned visa issues.

Speaking of the Serb, he has won an impressive three US Opens during his stellar career, the most recent of which came back in 2018, when he beat Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium. While he may not be as prolific at this tournament as he is at the likes of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Djokovic clearly has a brilliant record when playing Stateside, and will hope to continue that in 2023.

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz Odds of Winning US Open 2023

With both players at the top of their game, they are the two favourites heading into this year's tournament in New York.

According to betting website Oddschecker, Djokovic is the slight favourite over his rival, with odds of 5/4 to lift the trophy at the end of the fortnight. That's likely partly due to the marginally easier side of the draw Djokovic has been put on (more on that later), as well as his experience in high pressure Grand Slam situations. Meanwhile, Alcaraz has odds of 21/10, putting him slightly behind the 36-year-old, despite the Spaniard being the current world no.1 in the ATP World Tour rankings.

Having won two Grand Slams at the age of 20, Alcaraz is clearly tennis' biggest rising star, but it will be a little while yet before he can be considered the favourite against a great such as Djokovic.

Other outside shouts include the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner, but most are expecting one of the two men who have, between them, won all three of this year's Grand Slams, to come out on top at this one too.

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz Possible Routes to the US Open Final

As the two most likely winners, it's worth mapping out the possible routes to the final that the pair might have, were they to go all the way.

Read More: Wimbledon 2023 final: 'The moment Novak Djokovic lost to Carlos Alcaraz' spotted

Alcaraz appears to have a relatively simple task in progressing at first, until he faces the prospect of a fourth round matchup against Cameron Norrie. Should he make it past that, it doesn't get any easier as there's the potential to be playing the big-hitting Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals (assuming he makes it that far too).

In the final four, the most likely opponent looks to be world No.3 Daniil Medvedev - and if he does get to the final, he'll be up against the man he has done battle with all year: Novak Djokovic.

As for Djokovic, his run includes the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarters and Casper Ruud in the semis who, while no easy matchup, look to be slightly more generous when compared to Alcaraz's path.

While their opponents along the way may not be set in stone yet, one thing that is known for certain is that should both men win their respective matches they are guaranteed to meet in the final. If that were to happen, a repeat of the Wimbledon final could be in store, which would be a treat not just for tennis fans, but for all sports lovers around the world.