"It was just an awful match from me" - Novak Djokovic bemoans playing "some of his worst tennis" after shocking US Open 3R exit
Novak Djokovic voiced harsh self-criticism in the wake of his shock third-round exit from the ongoing 2024 US Open. Djokovic was outplayed in four sets (4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6) by Australian Alexei Popyrin, with the Serb looking particularly vulnerable on his serve.
Djokovic's serve struggles surfaced during his second-round match against compatriot Laslo Djere. Even though the latter retired mid-match with an injury, the 37-year-old himself later admitted that his serve was poor throughout the contest.
The Serb's struggles continued against Popyrin, and the Australian ruthlessly capitalized on them, establishing a two-sets-to-love lead. While the defending champion did get back into the contest by clinching the third set, ultimately, it was Popyrin who prevailed to reach the fourth round of a Major for the first time in his career.
During his post-match press conference, Djokovic admitted that Popyrin "deserved to win". The Serb also opined that him reaching the third round despite playing at a subpar level was a "success".
"Congrats to him (Popyrin) and his team. He played better and deserved to win. Honestly with the way I felt and played from the start of the tournament… round 3 is a success," Djokovic said.
The World No. 2 then shared a grim assessment of his own performance against the Australian, once again ruing his dismal serve, as he did during an interview with Nick Kyrgios after securing his walkover win against Djere in the previous round.
"I played some of the worst tennis I’ve ever played. Serving by far some of the worst ever. On a quick surface like this, you can’t win without a serve. You can’t win against the guys who are in form like Alexei. It was just an awful match from me," Djokovic added.
Novak Djokovic's US Open 3R loss marks the end of the Serb's Grand Slam campaigns in 2024
2024 is the first time since 2017 that Djokovic has failed to win a Major during a season. The Serb was vying for a record-25th Grand Slam title but that eluded him.
The former World No. 1 was the defending champion at the Australian Open and reached the semifinals before losing to Jannik Sinner. Djokovic's French Open campaign was marred by a meniscus tear in his knee, forcing him to withdraw from the claycourt Major ahead of his quarterfinal clash against Casper Ruud.
The Serb was back in action for the Wimbledon Championships, where he did well to reach the final. However, at the last hurdle, Djokovic faced an imperious Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him in straight sets.