Novak Djokovic endures Slamless year for first time since 2017

Novak Djokovic’s remarkable streak of winning at least one Grand Slam every season has ended after seven years, as he will finish the season without a major title following a shock defeat to Alexei Popyrin at the US Open..

Fresh off his gold medal win at the Paris Olympics, Djokovic was the defending champion and the heavy favorite against Popyrin in the third round. However, he was outplayed by the Australian, who secured a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

This marks Djokovic’s joint-earliest exit at the US Open and his first loss before the fourth round in New York since 2006, when he was defeated by another Australian, Lleyton Hewitt.

It is also the first time since 2017 that Novak Djokovic will finish a year without a Grand Slam title. The Serbian star won his first Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open and then endured a three-year wait before claiming another major in 2011.

From there, he went on to win at least one Grand Slam every year for six consecutive years, cementing his place among the sport’s all-time greats.

Djokovic’s run of winning a Grand Slam every year came to an end in the 2017 season when he failed to secure a major title. He was eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open and reached the quarterfinals at both the French Open and Wimbledon before missing the US Open due to elbow surgery.

Djokovic made a strong comeback in 2018, winning both Wimbledon and the US Open, and continued his dominance by capturing at least one Grand Slam title every year until 2023. Last year, he triumphed at the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open, bringing his Grand Slam total to 24.

Many expected Djokovic to claim his 25th major in 2024, but he fell short, losing in the Australian Open semifinals, withdrawing from his French Open quarterfinal due to a knee injury, finishing as the runner-up at Wimbledon, and exiting in the third round of the US Open.

This year also marks the end of an era, as it is the first time since 2002 that none of the “Big Three” — Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer — won a Grand Slam. Federer retired in 2022, and Nadal has played only a few tournaments this year due to injuries.