By CNN
—
There’s been another massive upset at the US Open.
One night after No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz was stunned by unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets, No. 2 Novak Djokovic has been bounced by No. 28 seed Australian Alexei Popyrin in the third round at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Popyrin notches the biggest win of his career, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
“I’ve been in the third round about 15 times in my career, but I haven’t been able to get past to the fourth round,” Popyrin said on the court. “And to be able to do it against the greatest of all time to get into the fourth round is unbelievable.”
It’s been a strange year for Djokovic – for his standards, at least – not winning any grand slam titles in 2024. He ends a season without a major title for the first time since 2017.
In fact, it’s the first year since 2002 that none of the members of men’s tennis “Big Three” – Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and the now-retired Roger Federer – won a grand slam.
Djokovic, who had 14 double faults and 49 unforced errors, didn’t mince words about his performance.
“On my end, honestly the way I felt, and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, third round is a success,” Djokovic said. “I’ve played some of the worst tennis I’ve ever played, honestly. Serving, by far the worst ever.”
Djokovic will have to wait until 2025 to seek his 25th grand slam singles title – which would be the most across men’s or women’s tennis – with the 37-year-old setting his sights on next year’s Australian Open.
Popyrin had entered the night 0-3 in career head-to-head matches against Djokovic, including going 0-2 against the Serb in grand slams (Wimbledon and the Australian Open) this year.
But the 25-year-old Australian has had a steady rise this season – particularly during the summer hard court swing, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal earlier this month.
“Third time lucky, I guess,” Popyrin said. “No, honestly, we had some battles at Australian Open, at Wimbledon. I had my chances in those matches but didn’t take them. This match was a little bit different. I was able to take my chances when I had them and played some good tennis.”
In the round of 16, Popyrin will face American and No. 20 seed Frances Tiafoe, who rallied to defeat his friend and compatriot No. 13 seed Ben Shelton in a four-hour, five-set battle earlier Friday.
Popyrin becomes the second Australian man to defeat Djokovic at a grand slam event and the first player to defeat Djokovic before the US Open fourth round since Australian Lleyton Hewitt – part of Popyrin’s box at Arthur Ashe Stadium – bested Djokovic in the third round in 2006.
This was Djokovic’s earliest exit in a major this year.
In January, Djokovic came up short in his historically most successful major – the Australian Open, which he has won 10 times – losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
In June, he withdrew from the French Open after suffering a torn meniscus on the clay in the fourth round. Less than a month later after undergoing surgery, Djokovic improbably was back on the court, competing on the grass at Wimbledon. He lost in the final in straight sets to Alcaraz.
His only title this year up to this point came when he won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics at Roland Garros – the same site where he suffered the knee injury just weeks earlier – against Alcaraz.
“I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically,” Djokovic said. “But, because it’s US Open, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I don’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas.”
