Reigning U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the third round on Friday night.
Australian Alexei Popyrin, who won the National Bank Open on August 12 in Montreal, caused a surprise by winning in four sets of 6-4, 6-4, 2-6 and 6-4.
“Honestly, I played one of the worst tennis matches of my life,” the loser said bluntly in a press conference. “I’ve never been that bad on serve.”
“It was a horrible match from me,” continued the second seed, who committed 14 double faults. “I felt good physically and I was motivated because it’s a grand slam tournament, but I wasn’t able to play well. That’s all.”
Djokovic, who is trying to become the first player in history to win 25 Grand Slam titles, will instead end the year without a major tournament triumph, a first since 2017.
It is also interesting to note that 2024 will be the first year since 2002 without a major tournament crown for Switzerland’s Roger Federer, Spain’s Rafael Nadal or Djokovic.
Djokovic’s third-round exit matches his worst performance at Flushing Meadows. The other two times he was eliminated this early were in 2005 and 2006.
The 37-year-old Serbian has reached the final 10 times, winning in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023.
This time, however, Djokovic did not have the same energy. His road to the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, won against the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the final, took a lot out of him.
It definitely had an impact, he admitted. I spent a lot of energy to win gold and I didn’t arrive in New York at the top physically and mentally. I ran out of gas and you can see it with the way I just played.
For Popyrin, the 28th seed, it was a magical moment. He was 0-3 against Djokovic and 0-6 in third-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments.
“If he serves well and plays well, he can beat anyone,” Djokovic said of Popyrin. “Alcaraz is out. I’m out. The draw is open.”
The 25-year-old Australian’s next opponent will be Frances Tiafoe, who overcame powerful server Ben Shelton and shone at the net to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-3.
Tiafoe is in the fourth round of this tournament for the fifth straight year. Last year, the 26-year-old American was eliminated in four sets by Shelton in the quarterfinals.
After beating his compatriot in four hours and three minutes, Tiafoe was cheered by the thousands of spectators present at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The two friends then had a long discussion at the net during their embrace.
“I have to say Ben is a really incredible player,” Tiafoe said after the duel. “He tries a lot of different shots and he doesn’t care at all. It’s really annoying. He’s really talented.”
He can make great shots, and so can I. It’s one great moment after another. I hope you enjoyed the show, added the winner.
Shelton, 21, had not dropped his serve once in his two wins earlier this week. Tiafoe, however, broke him five times, with the final break giving him a 3-1 lead in the fifth set.
The other key to Tiafoe’s success was his drive to the net. He won no less than 35 of his 48 points in this phase of the game.
