But at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic was evidently far from his best and it all resulted in him suffering a shock four-set loss to Alexei Popyrin in the first round. For the current world No. 2, it was his earliest US Open since 2006 - when he also exited in round three.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic has lost at the U.S. Open one night after Carlos Alcaraz did. Djokovic bowed out in the third round with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss against 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia on Friday night.

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,

NEW YORK (AP) — Defending champion Novak Djokovic was shocked at the U.S. Open one night after Carlos Alcaraz was, bowing out in the third round with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia on Friday night.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Novak Djokovic picked the favourite to win the US Open title this year.

Jannik Sinner addressed the upset defeats suffered by his rivals Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open as he continued his title bid with a dominant victory. The world No 1 reflected that the surprise losses prove “anything can happen in this sport” as he outlined his approach of staying focused on himself.