NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic was not kind to himself when evaluating his lackluster performance since the beginning of the US Open. He considered that his poor serve was the main reason why his title defense from 2023 surprisingly stalled in the third round.
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"I played some of the worst tennis I've ever shown, honestly," the Serbian stated in the first few minutes of Saturday. "On serve, yes, worse than ever."
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With 14 double faults, which raised his total in the tournament to 32, the defending champion succumbed at the US Open on Friday, a night after Carlos Alcaraz was eliminated.
The Serbian player fell to Australian Alexei Popyrin (28th seed) by 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
"It was just an ugly match for me," Djokovic said. "I didn't play anywhere near my best level. It's not good to be in that situation when you feel good physically and, of course, when you are motivated because it's a Grand Slam, but you just can't find your game, that's how it is. The game is falling apart, and I guess I have to accept that there are tournaments like this."
It is not very common in him.
Djokovic (2nd) was trying to become the first tennis player in history with 25 Grand Slam titles, to extend his record. Instead, after undergoing a knee surgery in June, he ends the year without winning at least one major, something that last happened to him in 2017.
Before that, it hadn't happened to him since 2010.
Another statistical note: This 2024 will be the first year since 2002 in which none of the Big Three in tennis —Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer— will win a Grand Slam trophy.
Being eliminated in the third round equals Djokovic's worst performance at Flushing Meadows. The other occasions when he was ousted so early were in 2005 and 2006.
Lleyton Hewitt, the man who defeated him 18 years ago, is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, captain of the Australian Davis Cup team, and was seated in Popyrin's box at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Djokovic, who is 37 years old, has reached 10 finals at the Ashe, where he has won the title in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023.
But on Friday, he even seemed lacking in emotional intensity. Perhaps it was fatigue, after winning his first Olympic gold medal with Serbia, defeating Alcaraz earlier this month in Paris.
"Obviously this had an effect," he acknowledged. "I dedicated a lot of energy to winning the gold and I did arrive in New York not feeling fresh, neither physically nor emotionally."
Popyrin will face Frances Tiafoe, who won against Ben Shelton in an all-American clash, with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.