Novak Djokovic was surprisingly upset in the third round of the 2024 US Open. While the result may have caught tennis fans off guard, the Serb sounded like he saw it coming.
On Friday, Djokovic was stunned in four sets by Alexei Popyrin, who beat the defending champion 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, N.Y.
Popyrin had never beaten Djokovic before. The Australian raised his arms in jubilation once the result was sealed.
THE DRAMA.
Alexei Popyrin gets the break in the 4th set! pic.twitter.com/koGmVnzKqC
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2024
After the match, Djokovic commended his opponent for “playing better” and truly “deserving to win.”
But the 24-time Grand Slam winner followed that up by stating that he was surprised to have even made it to the third round at all. Djokovic, appalled at his own form throughout the tournament, called the round-3 result a “success” for himself despite being outplayed by Popyrin.
Djokovic labeled his play in this year’s US Open “some of the worst tennis I’ve ever played.”
“Serving by far some of the worst ever,” Djokovic said. “On a quick surface like this, you can’t win without a serve. You can’t win against the guys who are in form like Alexei. It was just an awful match from me.”
After his loss to Alexei Popyrin, Novak Djokovic says he played some of the worst tennis he’s ever played in his life at the US Open
“Congrats to him and his team. He played better and deserved to win. Honestly with the way I felt and played from the start of the tournament…… pic.twitter.com/GMrPLIXTkN
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 31, 2024
Djokovic had several self-inflicted wounds, committing a career-worst 14 double-faults in the contest.
The 37-year-old was a massive favorite to beat Popyrin, who entered the tournament ranked 28th ranked in the world.
Nole’s upset was far from the biggest in the tournament. Just a day earlier, World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz was knocked out by competitor ranked over 70 spots below him.
Playing in the Olympics — especially on the clay courts at Roland Garros — clearly took a lot out of the top players and prevented them from being their best at the hardcourts of the US Open.
However, the biggest loser was the man who lost a massive sum after betting on Alcaraz to win.
