Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest of all time, suffered a defeat on Friday night at the US Open. Djokovic fell in the third round with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to Australian Alexei Popyrin, seeded No. 28.
Second-seeded Djokovic's loss came just one night after third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, who came into the US Open as the favorite to win the tournament, was defeated in the second round.
“It was a horrible match for me,” Djokovic said. “I was not playing anywhere near my best. It's not good to be in that state where you feel good physically and of course you're motivated because it's a Grand Slam, but you're just not able to find your game. That's it. The game is falling apart and I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen.”
CARLOS ALCARAZ BEATS BOTIC VAN DE ZANDSCHULP IN STRAIGHT SETS IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE US OPEN
Novak Djokovic of Serbia shakes hands with Alexei Popyrin of Australia during a third-round match at the US Open tennis championships, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Agency)
Djokovic was seeking to become the first player in tennis history with 25 Grand Slam singles titles but instead completed a year without winning at least one major championship for the first time since 2017. Before that, 2010 was the last time he finished a year without a major championship.
This year is the first season since 2002 that Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have not won a Grand Slam trophy.
Djokovic's third-round exit equals his worst performance at Flushing Meadows; the only other times he has been beaten this early at the US Open were in 2005 and 2006.
US OPEN PLAYER WHO LOST TO COCO GAUFF ADMITS TO TAKING A NAP BETWEEN MATCHES
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts against Alexei Popyrin of Australia during a third-round match at the US Open tennis championships, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Agency)
They have reached the Arthur Ashe Stadium final 10 times, winning the title in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023.
However, on Friday he committed 14 double faults and looked physically sluggish and emotionally deflated. This comes after he claimed his first Olympic gold medal for Serbia by beating Alcaraz in the final at the Paris Games earlier this month.
“Obviously, that had an effect,” Djokovic said. “I spent a lot of energy to win gold and I came to New York not feeling fresh mentally and physically. But because it's the US Open, I tried and did the best I could. I didn't have any physical problems. I just felt out of energy. And that showed in the way I played.”
Alexei Popyrin of Australia reacts against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during a third-round match at the US Open tennis championships, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Agency)
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Popyrin will now try to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, after beating Djokovic, as he looks to upset No. 20 Frances Tiafoe, who outlasted No. 13 Ben Shelton in an American match that lasted 4 hours and 3 minutes on Friday night.
“If he serves well and plays well, he can beat anyone,” Djokovic said of Popyrin. “Alcaraz is out. I'm out. There are big surprises. The draw is opening up.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
