Novak Djokovic is disappointed after his exit from the US Open.
Image: Imago
Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise third-round defeat at the US Open against Australian Alexei Popyrin. After the match, the Serb was very critical of himself.
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- Novak Djokovic is eliminated in the third round of the US Open – the last time the 24-time Grand Slam winner was eliminated this early in New York was in 2006.
- Djokovic says that at times he played “worse than ever before”.
- Since 2002, at least one of the “Big Three” – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic – had always won a major title. This series has been broken.
Novak Djokovic lost to Alexei Popyrin 4:6, 4:6, 6:2, 4:6. The last time the Serb was eliminated so early at the US Open was in 2006. The disappointment is accordingly great: “It was a terrible match from me. At times I played my worst tennis ever, served worse than ever.”
This means that the 24-time Grand Slam winner remains without a triumph at one of the four biggest tournaments this season – for the first time since 2017. However, he has achieved perhaps his biggest goal this year: just under a month ago, he won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris thanks to a brilliant performance in the final against Carlos Alcaraz.
A success that meant everything to him and cost him a lot of energy. “I spent a lot of energy winning gold and arrived in New York without feeling mentally and physically fresh,” said Djokovic after his poor performance at the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Djokovic’s exit also marks the end of a 22-year series. Since 2002, at least one of the “Big Three” – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic – has won a major title.
The second big favorite for the title has also already been eliminated in New York: Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon this year and won Olympic silver in Paris.
