Defending U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic faced a surprising defeat in the third round of the Grand Slam on Friday, falling to Australian Alexei Popyrin with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. This loss comes just a day after Carlos Alcaraz, another top contender, was also eliminated from the tournament.
Djokovic, seeded No. 2, was vying to become the first player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam singles titles. However, this defeat marks the first year since 2017 that he has not secured at least one major championship. Before that, the last time this occurred was in 2010.
Notably, 2024 is now the first season since 2002 in which none of the Big Three in men’s tennis—Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer—won a Grand Slam title.
Djokovic’s early exit matches his worst performance at Flushing Meadows, where he was previously knocked out in the third round in 2005 and 2006. Interestingly, Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Djokovic 18 years ago and is now Australia’s Davis Cup captain, was in Popyrin’s guest box at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
At 37, Djokovic has reached the final at Ashe 10 times, winning the title in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023. However, on Friday, he struggled with 14 double faults and appeared physically sluggish and emotionally drained, possibly due to residual fatigue after winning his first Olympic gold medal for Serbia by defeating Alcaraz in the final at the Paris Games earlier in August.
Alcaraz, seeded No. 3, entered the U.S. Open as the favorite after winning the French Open and Wimbledon. However, he admitted to feeling more fatigued than he realized after being upset by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 on Thursday night.
Following Alcaraz’s exit, Djokovic became the new favorite to win the men’s title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, but his tenure as the frontrunner was short-lived.