NEW YORK – Novak Djokovic attempted to maintain a cheerful demeanor, albeit briefly, after his surprising defeat in the third round of the US Open. He raised his arms, flashed two thumbs up, and managed a smile before heading toward the locker room at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The match concluded with a score of 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in favor of Alexei Popyrin, marking the end of Djokovic’s Grand Slam season and signifying the first year since 2017 in which he did not win at least one major title.
What does Novak Djokovic’s latest Grand Slam loss mean? For a player with 24 titles—more than any other man in tennis history—it may not be a significant concern. Still, for a player whose ambitions clearly lie in accumulating as many trophies as possible, and at the age of 37, it may carry weight. “It’s hard to see the bigger picture right now. You’re just angry and sad about losing and the way you played, and that’s it,” Djokovic, the defending champion, noted, emphasizing that he had never exited the US Open so early before. “But tomorrow is a new day,” he added, “and I will of course think about what I need to do next time.”
From a broader perspective, there is a noteworthy statistic: 2024 will go down in history as the first season since 2002 without a Slam title for any member of the so-called “Big Three” of men’s tennis—which includes Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. Federer, who is now retired, won his first major title at Wimbledon in 2003, heralding a remarkable era for the trio, who collectively have won 66 Slam titles.
With Federer, 43, now out of the scene, and Nadal, 38, dealing with uncertainty due to multiple injuries—including a hip surgery over a year ago—it will be intriguing to see Djokovic’s future prospects. This year, he lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open, withdrew before the quarterfinals of the French Open due to a right knee surgery, and was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in the final at Wimbledon. However, what has mattered most to Djokovic this year was winning his first Olympic gold medal for Serbia, which he achieved by defeating Alcaraz in the finals in Paris.
Djokovic mentioned that there might be some truth to the idea that the physical and mental toll from the Summer Olympics affected his performance in New York. He referred to it as “some of the worst tennis I’ve ever played,” highlighting a total of 32 double faults across three matches, including 14 against Popyrin. “I just felt exhausted,” Djokovic admitted.
The unusual shift in surfaces this season—from the clay of the French Open to the grass of Wimbledon, back to clay for the Olympics, and then to hard courts for the US Open—certainly complicates matters. It may also impact other players who participated in the Olympics, particularly Alcaraz. This year marks the first time since 2000—and only the second time in the Open Era, which began in 1968—that two of the top three men’s seeds have been eliminated in the first week of competition in New York. Prior to Saturday, only one previous men’s champion remained in the bracket: 2021 winner Daniil Medvedev.
The night before Djokovic’s exit, 2022 champion Alcaraz saw his 15-match Grand Slam winning streak come to an end when he lost in straight sets to the 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp. “Results like that happen,” Popyrin remarked. “I thought to myself: Why not me today?”