Novak Djokovic of Serbia wipes his face against Alexei Popyrin of Australia during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Nikkinson)
Defending tennis champion Novak Djokovic suffered his fastest exit from the U.S. Open in 18 years on Friday, acknowledging it was his “worst tennis ever,” raising further questions about his long-term tennis future.
The 37-year-old Djokovic, a four-time New York champion, again fell just short of a record 25th Grand Slam title, losing 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the third round to No. 28 Alexei Popyrin of Australia.
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He committed an uncharacteristic 14 double faults and 49 unforced errors and the loss means he will end a season without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017.
Read: Novak Djokovic suffers shock loss in third round of US Open
“It’s a success to get from the start of the tournament to the third round,” said a dejected Djokovic, whose 24 Grand Slam titles are yet to come on Margaret Court.
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“I played the worst tennis of my life.”
Djokovic acknowledged that the effort and aftermath of winning gold at the Paris Olympics just four weeks earlier had influenced his lackluster performance in New York.
“Obviously it had an impact. I put a lot of energy into winning the gold medal and arrived in New York not feeling fresh mentally or physically.
“But it’s the U.S. Open, so I tried and did my best. There were no physical issues, I just felt out of gas.”
Read: Djokovic aims for 25th Grand Slam title after winning Olympic gold
The latest blow came in a year when Jannik Sinner was crowned Australian Open champion and then Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open title before beating Sinner in the Wimbledon final.
Sinner, who defeated Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals, also took the world number one ranking that Djokovic had held for a total of 428 weeks.
A knee injury that required surgery forced Djokovic to withdraw from the French Open on the eve of the quarterfinals.
His recovery still wasn’t strong enough to stop Alcaraz from winning his eighth Wimbledon title.
Friday’s shock result means that for the first time since 2002, none of the “big three” — Djokovic, absentee Rafael Nadal and retired Roger Federer — will win a Grand Slam title.
The Serb’s defeat on Friday was another blow to the U.S. Open after Alcaraz’s shock exit in the second round on Thursday.
“I played some good tennis,” said Popyrin, whose box was watched by Lleyton Hewitt, who stunned Djokovic in the third round in New York in 2006.
“To reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam and beat the greatest player of all time is incredible.”
The only consolation for Djokovic after a frustrating year was winning Olympic gold in Paris in early August.
Olympic Gold Medal
Tennis gold medalist Novak Djokovic celebrates his victory during a welcoming ceremony at Belgrade City Hall on August 12, 2024. (Photo: Peja Milosavljevic/AFP)
He described his emotional win over Alcaraz as his “greatest achievement” as he became just the sixth player to complete the Golden Slam of four major championships and an Olympic gold medal.
The title was the 99th of his career and may be his final moment of glory.
If he continues playing through 2025 and wins his 11th Australian Open title in January, he will become the oldest male Grand Slam champion of the modern era.
Djokovic paid a heavy price on Friday against Popyrin, who is 12 years younger, after failing to convert five break points in the sixth game of the opening set.
The Australian had no such trouble in the ninth game, converting one break point and serving confidently to take the first set.
Popyrin lost to Djokovic at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year but arrived in New York on the upswing after winning his first Masters title in Montreal.
His confidence on the hard court shone through when he broke at 3-2 in the second set, opened up a 4-2 lead and then used confident serve and volley to win the set.
“life goes on”
But Djokovic fought back to close the gap in the third set, breaking twice himself.
A fired-up Popyrin led 3-2 in the fourth set, earning a break of service with a free-swinging forehand and unleashing a spine-chilling roar that reverberated throughout the massive Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Popyrin took a double break lead, but Djokovic persevered and clawed back a break.
But Popyrin’s performance couldn’t be overlooked, as he sealed a famous win for Djokovic and potentially marked the point of no return for the Frenchman.
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“Life goes on,” the Serb added. “I’ll pick myself up and see what happens next. Tomorrow is a new day.”
