Novak Djokovic didn’t go simple on himself when assessing the listless manner he carried out from the beginning of the U.S. Open, pointing to his sloppy serving as the primary motive the protection of his 2023 title surprisingly ended within the third spherical.
“I’ve performed a few of the worst tennis I’ve ever performed, truthfully,” Djokovic stated, simply after midnight as Friday turned to Saturday. “Serving — by far — the worst ever.”
With 14 double-faults, elevating his event complete to 32, Djokovic bowed out with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to Twenty eighth-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia, one other surprising consequence at Flushing Meadows one night time after 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz exited.
It is solely the third time within the Open period that two of the highest three males’s seeds on the U.S. Open are gone earlier than the fourth spherical; the opposite cases had been in 1973 and 2000.
“It was simply an terrible match for me,” No. 2 Djokovic stated. “I wasn’t taking part in even near my greatest. It is not good to be in that type of state the place you are feeling OK bodily, and naturally, you are motivated as a result of it is a Grand Slam, however you simply aren’t capable of finding your recreation. That is it. The sport is falling aside, and I suppose it’s a must to settle for that tournaments like this occur.”
Not typically for him, although.
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In spite of everything, Djokovic was attempting to change into the primary participant in tennis historical past with 25 Grand Slam singles titles. As a substitute, after knee surgical procedure in June, he finishes a 12 months with out claiming at the very least one main championship for the primary time since 2017. Earlier than that, it hadn’t occurred since 2010.
Additionally of notice: 2024 now turns into the primary season since 2002 by which not one of the Huge Three of males’s tennis — Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — earned a Slam trophy.
The third-round exit equals Djokovic’s worst exhibiting at Flushing Meadows; the one different events he was crushed that early on the U.S. Open got here in 2005 and 2006. The person who defeated Djokovic 18 years in the past, Worldwide Tennis Corridor of Fame member Lleyton Hewitt, is now Australia’s Davis Cup captain and was sitting in Popyrin’s visitor field in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Djokovic, Popyrin stated, “wasn’t taking part in his greatest tennis; I used to be ready for him to type of step up.”
“I did not need to be a type of moments the place Novak type of stepped up and got here again from two-sets-to-love down,” Popyrin stated. “That was going by way of my head.”
Djokovic, who’s 37, has reached the ultimate in Ashe 10 instances, leaving with the title in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023.
On Friday, although, he was sluggish and emotionally flat, maybe residual fatigue after amassing his first Olympic gold medal for Serbia by beating Alcaraz within the last on the Paris Video games earlier in August.
“Clearly, it had an impact,” Djokovic stated. “I spent a whole lot of power profitable the gold, and I did arrive to New York simply not feeling recent mentally and bodily. However as a result of it is the U.S. Open, I gave it a shot and I attempted my greatest. I imply, I did not have any bodily points. I simply felt out of gasoline. And you might see that with the way in which I performed.”
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The No. 3-seeded Alcaraz entered the U.S. Open because the event favourite having gained the French Open and Wimbledon, and acknowledged his power was decrease than he realized after getting eradicated by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 on Thursday night time.
“I wakened this morning and confirmed my girlfriend straightaway, in shock. It was loopy. Outcomes like that occur,” stated Popyrin, who’d by no means set foot on the taking part in floor in 23,000-plus capability Ashe till about 20 minutes earlier than taking over Djokovic. “I believed to myself: Why not me at the moment?”
Djokovic changed Alcaraz because the money-line decide to take the boys’s title, in line with BetMGM Sportsbook, however that standing did not final lengthy in any respect. Now the one previous U.S. Open males’s champion remaining earlier than Week 1 is even over is Daniil Medvedev, whose lone Slam title got here in 2021. He performs No. 31 Flavio Cobolli on Saturday within the third spherical.
For the 25-year-old Popyrin, this represents an actual breakthrough: He had been 0-3 in opposition to Djokovic — together with losses on the Australian Open and Wimbledon this 12 months — and 0-6 in third-round matches at majors.
However the strong-serving Popyrin is taking part in in addition to ever, coming off the most important title of his profession lower than three weeks in the past at a hard-court event in Montreal, the place he picked up 5 wins in opposition to opponents ranked within the high 20.
Every little thing was working in opposition to Djokovic.
Popyrin was terrific on the web, going 10 for 10 on serve-and-volley approaches and 25 for 36 general on factors when he pushed ahead. Djokovic, in distinction, solely gained the purpose on 19 of his 40 journeys to the web, partly as a result of Popyrin saved flipping passing pictures by him.
Popyrin took massive cuts together with his highly effective forehand, accumulating 22 of his 50 complete winners with that shot.
And he broke Djokovic 5 instances, together with for a lead of 3-2 within the fourth. That recreation felt titanic, lasting greater than 10 minutes and together with 4 break probabilities for Popyrin, who transformed the final with an inside-out forehand to shut a 22-stroke trade, then rocked again on his heels, clenched each fists and let loose a roar. He took Djokovic’s subsequent service recreation, too, to make it 5-2.
The primary time Popyrin served for the match, he faltered, permitting Djokovic to interrupt. The second time, Popyrin completed the deal, holding at love when Djokovic despatched a forehand lengthy.
Now Popyrin will attempt to attain his first Grand Slam quarterfinal by getting previous No. 20 Frances Tiafoe, who superior Friday with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 13 Ben Shelton in a matchup between two People.
“If he serves properly, performs properly, he can beat anyone,” Djokovic stated about Popyrin. “Look, Alcaraz is out. I am out. Some massive upsets. The draw is opening up.”
