Late on Friday night, the defending US Open champion was toppled. Novak Djokovic, fresh off a gold medal win in Paris, fell to Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the tournament. Nobody was more disappointed than Djokovic himself, who gave a brutal evaluation of his own play to media after the massive upset. His third-round exit is tied for his earliest loss at the US Open.
""I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly," Djokovic said, per ESPN. "Serving -- by far -- the worst ever."
The No. 2-ranked player in the world, Djokovic acknowledged that he did not feel rested mentally or physically arriving in Queens after his Olympics run. But for a competitor like him, that doesn't matter, and like most top athletes he is his own harshest critic.
"It was just an awful match for me," he continued. "I wasn't playing even close to my best. It's not good to be in that kind of state where you feel OK physically, and of course you're motivated because it's a Grand Slam, but you just are not able to find your game. That's it. The game is falling apart, and I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen."
Djokovic's shocking loss came one day after a similarly stunning upset of Carlos Alcaraz, clocking in at No. 3 in the ATP rankings heading into the Open. No. 1 ranked Jannik Sinner is still very much in it, though, and will compete on Saturday afternoon to secure his spot in the round of 16.
Perhaps the most shocking stat of all to emerge from Djokovic's upset? This year's US Open will now be the first in 20 years to not feature at least one of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer in the round of 16.
Popyrin will look to qualify for his first Grand Slam quarterfinal against Frances Tiafoe on Sunday. Djokovic, against all expectations, is headed home early.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Novak Djokovic Gave Brutal Evaluation of His Own Play After US Open Upset Loss.
