Novak Djokovic Follows Carlos Alcaraz Out Of The U.S. Open As Stunning Upsets Continue

In New York City on August 30, Novak Djokovic from Serbia showed his emotions after scoring a point against Alexei Popyrin from Australia in the Men's Singles Third Round match at the 2024 US Open. The match took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing area of Queens. The photo was taken by Sarah Stier/Getty Images.

Another evening, another surprising victory in the men's competition at the U.S. Open.

One evening after the top pick and 2022 winner Carlos Alcaraz was beaten in consecutive sets in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the defending champion Novak Djokovic suffered a surprising loss.

During the night session at Ashe, Alexei Popyrin, a 25-year-old player from Australia seeded at No. 28, defeated the No. 2 seed and 24-time Grand Slam champion in a strong 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory lasting 3 hours and 18 minutes.

This Sunday, Popyrin will compete against American player Frances Tiafoe, who is seeded No. 20 in the tournament. Tiafoe defeated his American counterpart Ben Shelton in a five-set match on Friday to advance to the fourth round.

Popyrin, who hit 50 winners, said he was finally successful on his third attempt. He explained that despite facing tough matches in the Australian Open and Wimbledon, he failed to capitalize on his opportunities. However, in this match, he performed well and was able to take advantage of his chances.

He had lost all three matches against Djokovic and had never made it past the third round in a major tournament, losing all six times.

"I find it hard to believe that I've reached the third round in my career around 15 times, but I've never been able to make it to the fourth round," he remarked. "To achieve this against the best player of all time and advance to the fourth round is truly incredible."

The defeat implies that Djokovic, who is 37 years old, will have to postpone his attempt to surpass Margaret Court's record of 25 major titles until 2025. Since Roger Federer's five consecutive wins from 2004-2008, no man has been able to defend their U.S. Open title.

Djokovic made 13 mistakes serving the ball in the match, more than he ever has in a big tournament game. This was the first time since 2006 that Djokovic lost in the third round of a tournament, and that defeat came at the hands of Lleyton Hewitt, an Australian player who was sitting in Popyrin's cheering section on Friday night.

In 2023, Djokovic, known as one of the greatest male tennis players of all time, won three out of the four major tournaments. However, in 2024, he did not win any major titles. Despite this, he achieved his first Olympic gold medal in Paris after having surgery on his meniscus following the Roland Garros tournament.

For the first time since 2002, none of the top 3 tennis players, Djokovic, Federer, and Rafael Nadal, won a major title. Nadal was unable to compete in the Open because of an injury, and Federer retired from professional tennis two years ago.

New York, NY - August 30: Alexei Popyrin from Australia shows emotion after winning a game against Novak Djokovic from Serbia in their Men's Singles Third Round match at the 2024 US Open in Flushing, Queens. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The top-ranked player in the world, Jannik Sinner, emerged victorious at the Australian Open and now has the opportunity to win his second major title of the season. With both Alcaraz and Djokovic removed from the competition, Sinner's path to success is looking clear. Alcaraz, who had previously claimed victories at the French Open and Wimbledon, was surprisingly defeated on Thursday by Botic van de Zandschulp of The Netherlands in a straight-set match.

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Popyrin was born to parents who immigrated from Russia. He fell in love with tennis when he was just a child and went to Spain and France for coaching. Popyrin is fluent in Russian, English, and Spanish.

Popyrin secured a break to take a 5-4 advantage in the first set and then finished the set without losing a single point, surprising Djokovic. He managed to win the final 10 points of the set.

Popyrin took the lead in the second set by breaking Djokovic's serve in the fifth game. Djokovic made an error by hitting a wide forehand on a drop shot.

"This is a different side of Novak Djokovic than what we usually see," John McEnroe commented on ESPN after the Serbian player hit a forehand into the net.

During the tennis match, Djokovic was serving when Popyrin suddenly seemed to hurt himself and started walking with a noticeable limp.

However, Popyrin quickly came back strong, winning two sets in a row after serving and volleying, and hitting a backhand volley into an empty area of the court.

Following Djokovic's comeback to win the third set, Popyrin managed to break serve and take a 3-2 lead in the fourth set with a forehand winner. In a show of excitement, he pumped his fists and let out a loud yell of celebration.

At a score of 2-4, Djokovic lost his serve again and fell behind 2-5 after hitting a forehand shot too long on a break point.

Djokovic managed to break back, but Popyrin was able to serve out the game without losing a single point, leading 5-4. This surprised Djokovic and the audience. When Djokovic made an error and hit the ball out, Popyrin cheered and the two players hugged at the net.

John McEnroe expressed doubt that we will see Djokovic play much more this year, in his opinion.