"Novak Djokovic made a deal with the devil for Olympic gold";"Truly the end of Big 3 era" - Fans stunned as Alexei Popyrin upsets Serb in US Open 3R
Novak Djokovic's shock loss to Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the 2024 US Open has stunned the tennis community. The Serb's surprise early exit took place just one day after Carlos Alcaraz, another favorite for the title, was also eliminated from the New York Major.
Djokovic was chasing history at the US Open, attempting to win his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and become the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to successfully defend his title at Flushing Meadows.
The World No. 2 entered his third-round clash against Popyrin as the heavy favorite, having previously defeated the 25-year-old at the Australian Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. However, Popyrin stunned the 24-time Grand Slam champion, claiming a remarkable 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory.
While the Australian delivered an impressive performance as evidenced by his 50 winners, Novak Djokovic's uncharacteristically poor serving performance, with 14 double faults during crucial moments of the match, contributed heavily to his loss.
Djokovic's unexpected defeat left fans in shock, with one joking that the Serb had made a pact with the devil to achieve his long-held dream of winning an Olympic gold medal.
Given that silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz and bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti also suffered early exits at the New York Major, fans quipped about the "cursed" nature of the Paris Olympics for men's tennis.
"Novak’s first year without a slam since 2017. He must’ve made a deal with the devil for the Olympic gold," one fan commented.
"The entire Olympic medalists wiped out by Round 3. It really is cursed," another fan chimed in.
"Also known as The Olympic Games Men’s Final Curse," said another.
Others, meanwhile, highlighted the "chaotic" nature of this year's US Open.
"What a roller coaster of a game! A real classic! Now both Alcaraz and Djokovic eliminated in the span of 24 hours on week 1! No Slam does chaos better than US Open!" one fan posted.
"This is the craziest major ever 😂😂," another fan wrote.
"THE OLD KING IS DEAD! THE NEW KING IS DEAD! LONG LIVE CHAOS!" a fan remarked.
With Djokovic ending the season without winning a Major title for the first time since 2017, some fans suggested that his loss signaled the decisive end of the 'Big 3' era.
"I know we’ve said it before but this truly feels like the end of the big 3 era," one fan wrote.
"First year since 2002 that one of the Big 3 will NOT win a slam," another fan chimed in.
"Absolutely absurd. The end of the greatest era we will ever see in the sport," said yet another.
"To be able to do it against the GOAT is unbelievable" - Alexei Popyrin on beating Novak Djokovic to reach US Open 4R
With his remarkable win over Novak Djokovic in the third round of the 2024 US Open, Alexei Popyrin reached the fourth round of a Major for the first time in his career.
Speaking in his on-court interview, Popyrin marveled at reaching this milestone against the "GOAT," expressing satisfaction about his hard work and dedication finally paying off.
"It’s unbelievable because I’ve been in the third round about 15 times in my career, but I haven’t been able to get past to the fourth round. To be able to do it against the greatest of all time to get into the fourth round is unbelievable. It’s a great feeling and the hard work has paid off," he said.
Following his win over Djokovic, Alexei Popyrin will battle it out against Frances Tiafoe for a place in the quarterfinals of the New York Major. Tiafoe defeated Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 to book his place in the fourth round.