Novak Djokovic names new US Open 2024 title favorites after his and Carlos Alcaraz’s unexpected early exits

Novak Djokovic recently shared his thoughts on the potential winners of the 2024 US Open following his and World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz’s surprising early eliminations. The Serbian star stumbled in the third round, losing to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin on Friday.

Alexei Popyrin triumphed over Novak Djokovic with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, converting five break points and delivering 15 aces to hand the #2 seed his most disappointing Grand Slam defeat since his second-round exit at the 2017 Australian Open. In the post-match press conference, Djokovic was asked whether Popyrin, fresh off his recent victory at the ATP Masters 1000 in Canada, could make a deep run at the US Open.

“I don’t know what to make of that question. I mean, he’s just beaten me, the defending champion here, so he deserves the credit for that and respect. If he serves well, plays well, he can beat anybody,”

responded the 37-year-old.

A day before Djokovic’s loss, Flushing Meadows saw another major upset as World No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp defeated third seed Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in their second-round clash.

According to the 24-time Grand Slam champion, these unexpected results have significantly opened up the draw, leaving the title within reach for any of the top seeds, particularly World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Djokovic also mentioned other contenders, including Frances Tiafoe (#20), Taylor Fritz (#12), Alexander Zverev (#4), Andrey Rublev (#6), and Grigor Dimitrov (#9).

“I mean look Alcaraz is out, I’m out, some big upsets. The draw is opening up, obviously, Sinner is the main favorite but then Tiafoe is there as well as American favorite. Fritz, Zverev, you have great guys playing well, Rublev, Dimitrov in this part of the draw. Anybody can take it. It’s going to be interesting to see who takes the title in the end,”

the Serb added.

Notably, all the mentioned players, except Sinner, have advanced to the fourth round. Zverev is set to face Brandon Nakashima, while Rublev and Dimitrov are matched up against each other. Additionally, Fritz will go head-to-head with Casper Ruud, and Tiafoe is slated to compete against Popyrin.

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.