US Open: Top seeds continue tumbling as Djokovic is knocked out

The 2024 US Open is witnessing a series of unexpected upsets as top-seeded players continue to be eliminated.

Novak Djokovic, ranked world No. 2, was defeated in four sets by Alexei Popyrin, citing fatigue after his recent Olympic gold medal win as a contributing factor.

The Serb, who just won the Olympic gold medal, lost 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, in three hours and 19 minutes. Djokovic described his performance as “awful,” which can happen anytime.

He also blamed the loss on being jaded after his Olympics triumph. “I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically,” he said in the post-match interview on the US Open official website.

Djokovic, gunning for his 25th Grand Slam title, added, “But because it’s the US Open, I gave it a shot, and I tried my best. I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas, and you could see that with the way I played.”

This trend of early exits started on Day 1, with several high-ranking players, like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Khachanov, and Holger Rune, being knocked out. The following days saw more upsets, including Carlos Alcaraz’s loss to Botic Van de Zandschulp, in which Alcaraz admitted to struggling with his mental game.

According to the official US Open website, Alcaraz said in the post-match interview, “It was a fight against myself in my mind during the match. In tennis, you are playing against someone who wants the same as you. To win, you have to be as calm as you can to think better in the match and try to do good things.

“Today I was playing against the opponent as well as myself in my mind. A lot of emotions I couldn’t control. I was up in some points. Then I’d lose some points and get down. It was a rollercoaster in my mind. It can’t be like that if I want to think about big things. I have to improve it. I have to learn about it.”

The women’s draw has also seen its share of surprises, with notable players like Jeļena Ostapenko, Leyla Fernandez, Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka, and Madison Keys being eliminated early on.