Australia's Alexei Popyrin sent shockwaves through the tennis world as he defeated World No. two Novak Djokovic in the third round of the US Open and knocked him out of the tournament. Popyrin pipped Djokovic in a four-set-long thriller 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium to advance to the round of 16.
Djokovic had a horrible day on the court as he made 14 double faults - the most made by him in a Grand Slam match. Notably, Djokovic's loss is the second major upset in the US Open this season after Carlos Alcaraz's loss in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.
This is Popyrin's first-ever win over the 24-time Grand Slam champion in four meetings. The Aussie had come close to beating Djokovic previously at the Wimbledon Championships and Australian Open this year but wasn't able to take his "chances".
“Third time lucky (this year) I guess,” Popyrin was quoted as saying by ATP. “Honestly, we had some battles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. I had my chances in those matches, but didn’t take them. This match was a little different. I was able to take my chances when I had them and played some good tennis.”
“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,” Popyrin added. “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.”
Crestfallen after his shocking defeat, Djokovic revealed that he arrived "in New York not feeling fresh". The reigning Olympic champion added that he "tried his best" but "felt out of gas".
"Obviously it has an effect. I spent a lot of energy winning the gold and I did arrive in New York not feeling fresh. I tried my best, I didn't have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas, and you could see that. From the first match I just didn't find myself on this court," said Djokovic.
"Life moves on. I'll try to recalibrate and look forward to what's next."
