New York, Aug 31: Novak Djokovic, the winner of 24 Grand Slam titles and the Paris Olympics 2024 Gold medallist, was stunned by Australian Alexei Popyrin in the US Open.
Defending champion Djokovic was ousted from the tournament with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 result. Popyrin unleashed his brand of Big-Man Tennis to shatter Djokovic's dream.
But the Serb did not help himself as he served a career-high of 14 double faults in a Grand Slam match on Friday night, including four to hand Popyrin a double break at 5-2 in the fourth set. That was highly unlikely from someone like Djokovic.
After Carlos Alcaraz was beaten by World No 74 Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday, Djokovic's ouster has certainly stunned many.
It can be recalled that the last time Djokovic ended a season without a Grand Slam triumph was in 2017. Not since 2002 has a season gone by without a member of the Big Three (Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal) winning a Grand Slam.
But with Alcaraz and Djokovic out of the tournament, the possible winner of US Open 2024 seems to be wide open, feel tennis lovers.
