"Terrible match from me" Djokovic's exit ends an era after 22 years
Novak Djokovic surprisingly loses to Australian Alexei Popyrin in the 3rd round at the US Open. After the match, the Serb is hard on himself.
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- Novak Djokovic is eliminated from the US Open in the 3rd round - the last time the 24-time Grand Slam winner was knocked out this early in New York was in 2006.
- Djokovic says that he played "worse than ever" at times.
- Since 2002, at least one of the "Big Three" - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic - had always won a major title. This streak has been broken.
Novak Djokovic was defeated 4:6, 4:6, 6:2, 4:6 by Alexei Popyrin. The last time the Serb was eliminated this early at the US Open was in 2006. The disappointment is correspondingly great: "It was a terrible match from me. I played some of my worst tennis ever, served worse than ever."
This leaves the 24-time Grand Slam winner without a triumph at one of the four biggest tournaments this season - for the first time since 2017. Nevertheless, he has achieved perhaps his biggest goal this year: just under a month ago, he won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris thanks to a brilliant performance in the final against Carlos Alcaraz.
A success that meant everything to him and took a lot of energy. "I expended a lot of energy to win gold and arrived in New York without feeling mentally and physically fresh," said Djokovic after his poor performance at the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Djokovic's exit also marks the end of a 22-year streak. Since 2002, at least one of the "Big Three" - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic - had always won a major title.
The second big title favorite has also already been eliminated in New York: Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon this year and won Olympic silver in Paris.
