Novak Djokovic looked tired. Around midnight, the 37-year-old superstar kept rubbing his eyes with his fingers after his painfully early exit from the US Open and was mercilessly self-critical. “It was a terrible match for me,” said the most successful professional in tennis history. “At times I played my worst tennis ever, served worse than ever before.”„
The exceptional nature of the 4:6, 4:6, 6:2, 4:6 defeat in the third round against the Australian Alexei Popyrin can best be explained by some historical milestones: Djokovic failed at the US Open earlier than he had since 2006. For the first time since 2017, the record Grand Slam tournament winner thus ended a season without a triumph at one of the four biggest tournaments. And it could even be his first year without a title on the ATP Tour since 2005. “I had no gas left in the tank,” Djokovic summed up.
Zverev surprised by Djokovic’s elimination
This also surprised Alexander Zverev when he saw Djokovic’s elimination on the giant screen in the Louis Armstrong Stadium during his own round of 16 appearance. “He was always one of the fittest on the tour throughout his career,” said the Hamburg native.
The New York Times described the inevitable question to be asked in the face of the lackluster performance: “Father Time is undefeated. At 37, this may be the moment that was always meant to come.” Is Djokovic’s era as a long-time dominator of the tennis scene coming to an end? And with it the era of the big three of modern tennis, the long-retired Roger Federer and the soon-to-retire Rafael Nadal? Between them, the trio won 66 Grand Slam titles.
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Djokovic lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open this season, withdrew before the quarterfinals of the French Open to undergo surgery on his right knee, and then lost in the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz.
Less than a month ago, however, Djokovic celebrated the end of his unprecedented career with his first Olympic triumph in Paris – and achieved the most important goal of his season. “If this is the year in which I only win gold, I accept that – I have waited for this my whole life,” said Djokovic in New York. “It feels like the weakest season in terms of my results in 15 years, but that’s the way it is.”
The record number of 24 Grand Slam titles won remains unmatched for now. Will there be 25 more? “It’s difficult to look at the big picture at the moment,” said Djokovic when asked about his successes. “Tomorrow is a new day and I will think about what I do next.”
Djokovic in action in the Davis Cup and in Saudi Arabia
After a few days’ break in Belgrade, the Davis Cup duel with Greece is scheduled for mid-September. Djokovic is also being well paid for his appearance at the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia in October. He has to worry about qualifying for the ATP Finals, which is unusual.
Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is almost certain to take part in the end-of-year tournament of the eight best professionals of the season in November in Turin. But the 21-year-old – who lost to Djokovic in the final in Paris – also suffered a sensational second-round defeat at the US Open and also spoke of a lack of energy.
