Novak Djokovic’s train for predominant No. 25 will want to wait until 2025.
The World No. 2 crashed out of the 2024 U.S. Open Friday following an spectacular 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the third round. Djokovic didn’t resemble his traditional scientific self, serving a career-high 14 double faults (in majors) and committing as many as 49 unforced errors.
Popyrin, the 28th seed, entered the event at Flushing Meadows brimming with self assurance after clinching his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal in early August. Furthermore, the Aussie reached his career-high rating of No. 23 with a 20-16 singles file heading into the last predominant of the yr.
Whereas Popyrin used to be the underdog on paper, he didn’t behave as such after upsetting Djokovic on Friday.
“It’s impossible on list of I’ve been in the third round about 15 cases in my career but haven’t been able to receive to the fourth round,” Popyrin talked about, by intention of BBC. “So that you just can total it towards the finest of all time to receive into the fourth round is impossible, it be a sizable feeling that the laborious work has paid off.”
Popyrin will subsequent face American Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round on Sunday.
Earliest exit in 18 years
As for Djokovic, the loss marked his earliest U.S. Open exit since his loss to Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt in the third round in 2006. Since then, the Serb had reached in any case the semifinal or closing every yr, with the exception of 2017 when he withdrew with a season-ending elbow anguish.
The loss also intended Djokovic would discontinuance a calendar yr with out a valuable for the first time since 2017. The 24-time predominant winner’s quest to break the tie with Margaret Court docket, who obtained 24 majors between 1960 and 1971, didn’t come to fruition in 2024, with losses at the Australian Open (semifinal loss), French Open (anguish withdrawal in QF), Wimbledon (Finals loss) and now U.S. Open (third-round loss).
“Lifestyles moves on. I might strive to recalibrate and ogle forward to what’s subsequent,” Djokovic talked about after the loss.
With Carlos Alcaraz and Djokovic out of the image, most analysts feel World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is in the driving force’s seat to clinch his second predominant of the yr following his Australian Open victory. The Italian will play Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in the third round on Saturday.
Undoubtedly, the twin exits also originate the door for American citizens equivalent to Taylor Fritz and Tiafoe. No American man has obtained the U.S. Open title since Andy Roddick in 2003.
