NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic surprised everyone when he exited the US Open in the third round on Thursday evening after a defeat to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin from Australia, with scores of 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. “It was just a terrible match for me,” Djokovic said following the match. “Such tournaments can happen.” This loss marks a rare disappointment for the 37-year-old player.

Seeded second, Djokovic was attempting to become the first player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam titles. Instead, he ended the year without winning a single major championship for the first time since 2017. Since 2010, he has not experienced a season without a major title. 2024 will mark the first year since 2002 in which none of the three major players in men’s tennis — Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer — has achieved a Grand Slam title.

This defeat represents Djokovic’s worst performance at the US Open, aside from two earlier occasions in 2005 and 2006. Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Djokovic 18 years ago, is now Australia’s Davis Cup captain and watched the match from Popyrin’s guest box in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic, who has reached the finals at Ashe 10 times and won the title in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023, delivered a lackluster performance, making 14 double faults, which indicated physical and emotional fatigue—possibly a result of his recent victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the Olympic final last month. “Of course, it had an effect,” Djokovic stated.

Third-seeded Alcaraz entered the US Open as the favorite after winning both the French Open and Wimbledon, but he was eliminated by 74th-seeded Botic van de Zandschulp with a score of 6-1, 7-5, 6-4. Consequently, Djokovic became the new favorite to win the men’s title according to BetMGM Sportsbook, but this status did not last long.

Popyrin, who had lost to Djokovic in their previous three encounters, achieved his breakthrough in this match. He came off his biggest career victory less than three weeks ago at a hardcourt tournament in Montreal, where he won five matches against top 20 players. In the match against Djokovic, Popyrin excelled at the net, winning 10 out of 10 serve-and-volley attempts, while Djokovic only managed to win 19 out of 40 attempts at the net.

Popyrin broke Djokovic five times, including a crucial break in the fourth set to take a 3-2 lead. This game lasted over 10 minutes and featured four break opportunities, which Popyrin capitalized on with an impressive forehand. He also broke Djokovic again in his next service game to go ahead 5-2. Although Popyrin faltered the first time he served for the match, he kept his composure the second time and secured the victory when Djokovic sent a forehand long.

Now, Popyrin will aim to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal when he faces 20th-seeded Frances Tiafoe, who defeated Ben Shelton in an all-American duel with scores of 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.