Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest players of all time, suffered a major defeat at the U.S. Open on Friday night, losing in the third round to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Djokovic's loss to the second seed came just one night after third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, who entered the U.S. Open as one of the favorites to win, lost in the second round.
“It was a terrible match for me,” Djokovic said. “I didn't play anywhere near my best. Physically I'm OK and of course it's a Grand Slam and I'm motivated, but it's not good to be unable to play my game. That's it. Tennis is falling apart and I think we just have to accept that these tournaments are going to happen.”
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia shakes hands with Alexei Popyrin of Australia during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in New York. (Associated Press)
Djokovic was bidding to become the first player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam singles titles, but for the first time since 2017, he finished a year without a major win. The last time he had done so was in 2010.
This year marked the first time since 2002 that all three of them – Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – failed to win a Grand Slam trophy.
Djokovic's third-round exit matched his worst performance at Flushing Meadows and the only other times he'd been eliminated that early at the U.S. Open were in the second round in 2005 and 2006.
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts against Alexei Popyrin of Australia during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in New York. (Associated Press)
He has reached the finals at Arthur Ashe Stadium 10 times, winning in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023.
But he double-faulted 14 times and appeared to be in a physical and mental slump on Friday, coming just after beating Alcaraz in the Paris final earlier this month to win Serbia's first Olympic gold medal.
“Obviously, it affected me,” Djokovic said. “I put a lot of energy into winning the gold medal and I arrived in New York mentally and physically exhausted. But it's the U.S. Open, so I tried and did my best. So, there was nothing physically wrong with me, I just felt out of gas. You could see that in my play.”
Alexei Popyrin of Australia reacts against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in New York. (Associated Press)
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After beating Djokovic, Popyrin will be looking to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal and beat No. 20 Francis Tiafoe, who beat No. 13 Ben Shelton in a US Open final that lasted four hours and three minutes on Friday night.
“If he serves well and plays well, he can beat anybody,” Djokovic said of Popyrin. “Alcaraz is out, I'm out. There's going to be a big upset. The draw is opening up.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
