Djokovic knocked out of US Open after some of his ‘worst tennis ever’

Novak Djokovic’s attempt to win a record 25th grand-slam singles title will extend into next season after he followed Carlos Alcaraz in making a shock early exit at the US Open.
There is clearly an Olympic hangover lingering at the final grand-slam event of 2024. Four weeks after Djokovic, Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti stood together on the podium in Paris as men’s singles medal winners, all have been knocked out of the draw at Flushing Meadows before the tournament even reaches the middle weekend.
For Djokovic particularly it was always going to be a tough ask to rouse himself at the age of 37 after the physical and emotional effort he put in to claim Olympic gold for the first time on the clay of Roland Garros. He looked well short of fuel in the tank during a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 defeat by Alexei Popyrin, the No28 seed from Australia.
Even the regular task of serving was beyond Djokovic, with a total of 14 double faults the highest he has ever recorded in a match during his 20-year career. This is his earliest US Open defeat since 2006 and only the second season since 2010 in which he has failed to win a grand-slam title.
“Honestly the way I felt and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, the third round is a success,” Djokovic said. “I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly, serving by far the worst ever.
“Obviously the Olympics had an effect. I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically. But because it’s the US Open, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas and you could see that with the way I played.
“From the first match, I just didn’t find myself at all on this court. Life moves on and I’ll just try and recalibrate and look for what’s next.”
Djokovic’s exit is also another indication of the gradual transitional phase that the men’s game is going through. With Rafael Nadal approaching the end of his career and Roger Federer retired for two years, this is the first season since 2002 that no members of the fabled “big three” have won a major tournament.
Djokovic will have opportunities next year to break clear of his tie with Margaret Court in the all-time grand-slam count, starting with the most successful event of his career at the Australian Open in January. It remains to be seen, though, whether he will appear on the court again this season.
Coming up against a confident Popyrin was a tough task at this stage of the tournament. The 25-year-old won his first ATP Masters title at the Canadian Open this month and took a set off Djokovic in previous grand-slam meetings this year at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Popyrin looked far more comfortable on the court from the start and used his power to control the first two sets against his sluggish opponent. Although Djokovic managed to spark hopes of a comeback by taking the third set, Popyrin reasserted his dominance in the fourth and served out the biggest win of his career at the second time of asking. It summed up Djokovic’s night that the match ended on a wayward forehand which landed long of the baseline.
“I tried so many things, and sometimes that’s an issue because you move away from the basics that work,” Djokovic said. “You lose the foundation, you lose the movement, the timing, the rhythm, the tempo, everything, whether it’s a serve or any other shot.
“It was just really a big struggle mentally for me to play these three matches here, because I wasn’t playing even close to my best. It’s not good to be in that state where you feel OK physically, and of course you’re motivated because it’s a grand-slam, but you just are not able to find your game. The game is falling apart, and I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen.”