Novak Djokovic lost in the third round of the US Open 2024 to Alexei Popyrin, who beat him 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. This means Djokovic will finish this season without winning any Grand Slam titles, something that has not occurred since 2017.

According to statistics, Djokovic has not been as successful at the US Open compared to his performance at other Major tournaments. However, he has consistently made it to at least the third round every time he has played at the US Open.

Djokovic has won the US Open four times (in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023), been the runner-up six times, and reached the semifinals three times. In fact, he has reached the second week of the US Open for 15 consecutive years out of the 18 times he has participated in the tournament. Now, let’s explore three instances when Novak Djokovic did not make it to the second week at the US Open:

Novak Djokovic first played in the US Open in 2005. He played against Gael Monfils in the first round and managed to win after saving many match points over five sets, with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 0-6, 7-5.

Then, he beat the 22nd seed Mario Ancic in the next round with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3. In the third round, Djokovic faced Fernando Verdasco in a thrilling five-set match. Despite winning the first two sets, Djokovic lost to Verdasco with a score of 1-6, 4-6, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4.

A year after finishing third round at the 2005 US Open, Djokovic made it to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2006 French Open and also won his first tour-level title in Amersfoort. This success led to him being seeded 20th at the 2006 US Open.

He came back from losing the first set to beat American wildcard Donald Young 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 in the opening round. Djokovic then faced Mardy Fish in the second round, winning in four sets with a score of 7-6 (5), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3).

He then faced 15 seed Lleyton Hewitt, but unfortunately lost the match 6-3, 6-1, 6-2, ending his US Open journey in the third round for the second consecutive year.

Novak Djokovic had a strong record at the US Open, always making it to at least the fourth round after his early exit in 2006.
However, at the 2024 US Open, he was surprisingly defeated in the third round.

Djokovic, who was the defending champion and seeded 20th, easily won his first match against Radu Albot in straight sets. In the second round, he faced Laslo Djere and took a two-set lead before Djere retired due to an injury. In the third round, Djokovic played against Alexei Popyrin, who had recently won the Canadian Open.

Popyrin dominated the match, winning the first two sets, and despite Djokovic’s efforts in the third set, he was unable to defeat the Australian player. Popyrin achieved a significant victory in his career by defeating the Serb 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, preventing him from reaching the second week of the US Open for only the third time.