.jpg)
Minutes after his shocking 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to Alexei Popyrin on Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Novak Djokovic addressed the media.
He began by praising his Australian opponent, noting that Popyrin "played better and deserved to win," before shifting the focus to his own performance.
"Honestly, considering how I felt and played throughout this tournament, reaching the third round is a success," Djokovic said—a surprising comment from someone with 24 Grand Slam titles and just 11 first-round losses at the majors.
"I've played some of the worst tennis I can remember," he continued, referencing his 14 double faults—a record high for him in a major. "When you’re on a fast surface like this and you can't rely on your serve, with a low first-serve percentage and many double faults, it's hard to win. Especially against someone like Alexei, who serves well and puts a lot of pressure on your service game. It was just a dreadful match for me."
Competing for the first time since securing gold at the Paris Olympics—a milestone that completed his career Golden Slam—Novak Djokovic acknowledged that the exertion from Paris impacted his performance on Flushing Meadows' hard courts.
"Obviously, it had an effect," Djokovic said. "Winning the gold took a lot of energy, and I arrived in New York feeling neither mentally nor physically fresh."
"However, it's the US Open, so I gave it my best shot," he continued. "I didn’t have any physical issues; I just felt out of gas. You could see that in my play. From the very beginning, I struggled to find my rhythm on this court."
Djokovic breezed past Radu Albot and Laslo Djere in the first two rounds without dropping a set, but it was evident that he was far from his usual title-winning form. Nonetheless, he has consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to peak during Grand Slam tournaments.
With Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz eliminated from the US Open on consecutive nights, the question now is: Who will emerge victorious in New York? The only remaining former champion is Daniil Medvedev, who clinched his first major title here in 2021 by defeating Djokovic but arrived this year with a 0-2 record on the summer hard-court circuit.
“If [Popyrin] serves well and plays well, he can beat anyone,” Djokovic reflected. “With Alcaraz and me out, there have been some big upsets, and the draw is wide open.”
“Obviously, Sinner is the top favorite, but Tiafoe and American hopeful Fritz are also in the mix. Zverev is playing well, as are Rublev and Dimitrov in this section of the draw. Anyone could win it. It will be interesting to see who ultimately claims the title.”