Novak Djokovic and Learner Tien square off in the first round of the US Open on Sunday, August 24. The match will tentatively start at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Find my US Open First Round preview and Djokovic vs Tien prediction for Sunday below.
Novak Djokovic vs Learner Tien Prediction
- Djokovic vs Tien Pick: Tien +2.5 First Set (-120)
My Djokovic vs Tien best bet is on Tien to cover the spread in the opening set. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live US Open odds page.
Djokovic vs Tien Odds
| Novak Djokovic Odds | -800 |
| Learner Tien Odds | +550 |
| Over/Under | 33.5 (-120 / -115) |
| Djokovic-Tien H2H | 0-0 |
| Time | How to Watch | Sunday, 7 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Odds via DraftKings. For tips on how to watch US Open tennis, click here. | |
Carmine Carcieri's Djokovic vs Tien Preview, Prediction
Novak Djokovic Betting Preview
Djokovic holds the record for the most Grand Slam titles (24), but the last time he held up the championship trophy in a major was at the US Open in 2023.
At 38 years old, there's legitimate concern that Djokovic may never win another major. Yes, he's reached three Grand Slam semifinals this season, but the gap between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and him is rather large at this point in their respective careers.
Most notably, in 2024, Djokovic lost in the third round of the US Open to Alexei Popyrin.
I'm not expecting an early exit again this year. However, that doesn't mean his opponent — Tien — can't compete.
Learner Tien Betting Preview
While Djokovic is in the latter stages of his career, Tien is just getting things started.
At 19 years old, Tien is one of the more promising young players in the game, as evident by his top-50 ranking and victories over Denis Shapovalov, Andrey Rublev, Ben Shelton, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in 2025.
His Round of 16 appearance at the Australian Open will help him in this spot, but Tien has never won a match at the US Open. He pushed Arthur Fils to four sets in 2024 and Miomir Kecmanovic to four in his debut in 2022, though.
Djokovic vs Tien Predictions, Betting Analysis
Obviously, I expect Djokovic to win this match based on talent and experience alone.
However, there's going to be a feeling out process in the opening set as these two have never faced off before.
Tien may have some nerves to battle with this being his first match on Arthur Ashe (and the fact it's also going to be spotlighted as a night match), but Djokovic also hasn't played a single event since Wimbledon. That means it'll take both players at least a set to really get their feet under them.
Expect a tight opener (potentially 6-4 in favor of Novak) before Djokovic pulls away and eventually has a chance at covering the full-game spread.
Pick: Tien +2.5 First Set (-120 via DraftKings)
