Novak Djokovic is out of the US Open and explained exactly what he felt went wrong after a shock exit in just the third round.
Novak Djokovic attempted to explain what went wrong at the U.S. Open (Image: US Open)
Novak Djokovic outlined what he felt went wrong at the US Open after being knocked out in the third round by Alexei Popyrin. Djokovic lost in a huge upset, less than 24 hours after Carlos Alcaraz was also beaten.
Djokovic won an Olympic gold medal playing scintillating tennis in Paris just a few weeks ago and did not play between that final on August 4 and his first US Open match.
Many will be quick to point to the Olympic hangover and impact on his preparations as a cause for his unusually early exit. And Djokovic explained he was never feeling right “physically and mentally” when he arrived in New York.
However, he did clarify that he had no injury problems during the tournament as he delved into potential explanations for his below-par performances.
Asked if it was just too much heading from the Olympics to the U.S. Open, he said: “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe. But it’s a different surface.
Djokovic was second best against Alexei Popyrin (Image: Getty)
“I mean, obviously it had an effect. I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically.
“But because it’s US Open, you know, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I mean, I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas, you know, and you could see that with the way I played.
“Just from the very beginning, from the first match, I just didn’t find myself at all on this court. It’s all I can say, you know. You know, life moves on. I mean, yeah, just try and recalibrate and look for what’s next.”
Asked if he tried to change anything, Djokovic explained: “I mean, I tried so many things, and sometimes that’s an issue, you know, is that you move away from the basics that work.
“Then you just lose the basics. You lose the foundation. You lose the movement, the timing, the rhythm, the tempo, everything, whether it’s a serve or any other shot.
“It was just really a big struggle mentally for me to play these three matches here, because I wasn’t playing even close to my best.
“So, you know, it’s not good to be in that kind of state where you feel okay physically, and of course you’re motivated because it’s a Grand Slam, but you just are not able to find your game.
“That’s it. The game is falling apart, and I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen.
“Yeah, you could argue that it’s because of the Olympics, but I don’t know. I don’t want to analyze that right now. You know, I was just looking to really improve my game here on a daily basis, but it just didn’t happen.”
