Novak Djokovic was eliminated from the US Open after losing to Alexei Popyrin – Diario La Página – 2024-08-31 20:53:10

Novak Djokovic (2nd in the ATP rankings), defending US Open champion, was eliminated in the third round after falling to Australian Alexei Popyrin (28th) 6-4, 6-4, 2-6 and 6-4 in a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

One day after Carlos Alcaraz (3rd) lost to Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp (74th), Djokovic surprisingly fell on Friday night against Popyrin, who remained solid with his serve and was able to define a match that lasted 3 hours and 19 minutes.

Nole, who was defending the title he won last year in Flushing Meadows, was outplayed by the 25-year-old Australian, recent champion of the Canadian Masters 1000 on Centre Court, which ended with a standing ovation for the surprising winner, who will go on to the round of 16 against the American Frances Tiafoe (20th), who previously beat his compatriot Ben Shelton (18th).

The Serbian legend suffered one of her worst Grand Slam defeats since 2017 and was left without winning her 25th major trophy, which would have broken the tie with Margaret Court and set an all-time tennis record.

“We had a lot of battles this year at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. I had my chances but I didn’t take them. Today I did, playing great tennis. To reach the round of 16 against the best in history is incredible,” said Popyrin after his epic victory at the US Open.

Djokovic’s defeat is painful for the Serbian, as it is the first he has suffered in the third round of New York since 2006, precisely against another Australian, Lleyton Hewitt.

“Honestly, with the way I felt and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, to get to the third round is a success. I mean, I played some of the worst tennis I’ve ever played. Serve-wise, the worst by far,” he said at a press conference. He added: “If you play on a fast surface like this without the serve and without the ability to win ‘free points’, with a very low percentage of first serves and a lot of double faults, you can’t win. Especially against players who are in form like Alexei Popyrin, who was serving very well and putting a lot of pressure on my serve. Yeah, it was a terrible match for me.”

A four-time champion (2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023), the 37-year-old Serb was hoping to become the first to retain his crown since Swiss Roger Federer won five straight titles (2004-2008). Djokovic had not suffered such a severe defeat at the Grand Slams since his second round defeat at the Australian Open in 2017, the last year in which the Balkan star failed to win a single one of the four major trophies.

“The draw is opening up. Obviously Sinner is the top seed but then there are also Tiafoe and Fritz as American favourites. Zverev… you have guys playing well. And Rublev and Dimitrov in this part of the draw. Anyone can win. It will be interesting to see who wins the title at the end,” he concluded.

Before his exit at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic had reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, the quarter-finals of Roland Garros and the final of Wimbledon this year. The Serbian did achieve his goal of winning his first Olympic gold medal by beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics.