Novak Djokovic was met with the same fate as Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open just a day after the latter’s second round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp. The Serb was knocked out of the tournament by Alexei Popyrin in the third round.
Popyrin, who won his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open a few weeks ago, got off to a promising start during the night session at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, August 30. After fending off a staggering five break points in his third service game of the first set, he stunned the Serb on his first break point opportunity in the ninth game of the set (5-4). He went on to hold his next service game, clinching the opener 6-4.
Alexei Popyrin kept the ball rolling in the second set, breaking the Serb in the fifth game to eventually take a two-sets-to-love lead, 6-4, 6-4.
In true Novak Djokovic fashion, though, the 24-time Grand Slam champion staged a convincing comeback in the third set, breaking the Aussie twice (6-2) to force a fourth set. However, he was unable to keep pace with his younger opponent.
Popyrin broke Djokovic twice in the fourth set to establish a 5-2 lead before the latter staged a brief comeback (5-4). The Aussie ultimately closed out the match with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 scoreline, to reach the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Novak Djokovic ends 2024 Grand Slam season with no titles to his name
The 2024 US Open exit is Novak Djokovic’s earliest Grand Slam defeat since his second-round loss at the 2017 Australian Open. It is worth noting that Novak Djokovic was the defending champion at the event, having clinched his fourth US Open title last year, beating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
In 2023, the veteran added three Grand Slam titles to his name, creating history as the only player in the Open Era to win 24 Majors.
He has, however, not enjoyed a similar success this year. The 37-year-old has ended his 2024 Major season with zero trophies to his name—his solitary victory so far being the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal. His best Slam result came at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, where he was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the final (6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4)).
At the Australian Open, where he was again the defending champion, Djokovic crashed out in the semifinal against the eventual champion, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Meanwhile, he pulled out of the French Open quarterfinals due to a knee injury, letting go of his title defense in Paris.
The Serb, who began the US Open campaign as the World No. 2, is now set to drop out of the top 3.
