Four-time US Open champion Novak Djokovic bowed out of the final Grand Slam tournament of the year earlier than he hoped, losing 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the third round. This is the 2nd seed’s earliest loss at a major tournament since the 2017 Australian Open.
“It was just an awful match for me,” Djokovic said after losing to the 28th seed. “I wasn’t playing even close to my best. It’s not good to be in that kind of state where you feel OK physically, and of course you’re motivated because it’s a Grand Slam, but you just are not able to find your game.”
Having recovered from a knee injury in June, this will be the first time since 2017 that Djokovic has ended a calendar year without winning a major title all season. It also happens to be the first year since 2002 where none of the Big Three, consisting of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, were able to win a Grand Slam trophy. Djokovic’s exit comes one day after rival Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock elimination of his own, blowing the competition at Flushing Meadows wide open.
