Australia’s Alexei Popyrin stunned Novak Djokovic in the third round of the US Open on Saturday, 31 August. Popyrin said that he had played Djokovic this season in the Australian Open and at the Wimbledon and knew that he could beat the defending champion.
- Defending champion Novak Djokovic got knocked out of the US Open
- World No. 28 Alexei Popyrin beat Djokovic in 4 sets
- Popyrin said that he knew he could beat Djokovic
World No. 28 Alexei Popyrin delivered a stunning upset at the US Open on Saturday, August 31, by defeating defending champion Novak Djokovic in a four-set battle during the third round. After the match, Popyrin revealed that his previous encounters with Djokovic at the Australian Open and Wimbledon earlier this year had given him the confidence to believe he could win.
Djokovic’s loss, with set scores of 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, marks his first year without a Grand Slam title since 2017. Djokovic attributed his defeat to the mental and physical fatigue from participating in the Paris Olympics earlier in August.
Popyrin reflected on the match, saying, “My experiences against him earlier this year gave me the confidence to go out there and believe that I could win.” He added that achieving this victory felt like a validation of his belief in his own abilities.
When asked about the joy he felt from this win, Popyrin compared it to his satisfaction from winning the Montreal Open this season. “Winning Montreal was way bigger than today for me, just because it’s a Masters 1000 title. That felt unbelievable,” Popyrin said. “Today’s win was something I felt I could achieve, whereas winning a Masters 1000 was beyond my expectations.”
This result also signifies the first time since 2002 that a year will end without a Grand Slam title being claimed by any member of the “Big Three”—Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer.
