Djokovic's Olympic Gold Takes Toll: Early U.S. Open Exit Marks End of Era

Novak Djokovic, fresh off winning Olympic gold, faced a shocking third-round exit at the U.S. Open, losing to Alexei Popyrin. This marks his earliest exit from the Grand Slam since 2006 and the first season since 2017 without a Grand Slam title. Djokovic attributed his loss to fatigue and poor form.

Novak Djokovic's pursuit of Olympic gold severely impacted his performance at the U.S. Open, culminating in a surprise third-round exit on Friday against Australian Alexei Popyrin.

The Serb had recently celebrated what he described as the biggest achievement of his career — winning the Olympic gold and defeating Carlos Alcaraz in Paris. However, Djokovic suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2006, failing to defend his U.S. Open title. Notably, this will be his first season without a Grand Slam title since 2017.

Djokovic immediately faced difficulties upon arriving in New York, feeling fatigued and not fresh. He narrowly escaped an early exit in his first match against qualifier Radu Albot and continued to struggle in subsequent rounds. By Friday, his game unraveled with 14 double faults, contributing to his 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to Popyrin. Reflecting on his performance, Djokovic admitted to losing his mental and physical edge, marking an end of an era where none of tennis's 'Big Three' won a major title in a season for the first time since 2002.

(With inputs from agencies.)