Defending champion Novak Djokovic conceded that he was lucky to advance into the third round of the 2024 US Open following what was his worst result at the Grand Slam event since 2006.
Just days after winning an historic gold medal at the Paris Olympics, the Serbian superstar crashed out in the hands of Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, losing 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
AUSSIE, AUSSIE, ALEXEI! pic.twitter.com/iDmogtRqaY
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2024
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The 37-year-old Djokovic had taken his opening match in straight sets over Radu Albot, and then found himself on into the third round after second-round opponent Laslo Djere conceded while trailing the three-time champion 4-6, 4-6, 0-2.
He added that he had just played ‘some of the worst tennis” of his life in the “awful‘ defeat to Popyrin.
The Serb, ranked greatest in the world, has managed a colossal 32 double faults in three matches—14 in his third-round match, in which he consequently lost his serve five times. Djokovic was twice broken in the final set as Popyrin went 5-2 up.
‘Congratulations to him and his team,’ Djokovic said. ‘He definitely played better and deserved to win today. ‘I mean, on my end, honestly, the way I felt and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, third round is a success. I mean, I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly, serving by far the worst ever.
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‘If you play on a quick surface like this without the serve, without ability to win free points there, very low first-serve percentage, many double faults, then you can’t win,’ Djokovic said. ‘You can’t win, especially against the guys who are in form like Alexei who is serving big, puts a lot of pressure on your service game. Yeah, it was just an awful match for me.’
With this defeat, Djokovic will finish the calendar year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017. Besides, it extends Djokovic’s wait for a record-breaking 25th major title. His best performance this year is at Wimbledon, where he reached the final but was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz.
