“Novak Djokovic’s Shocking Defeat Sparks Unbelievable Firsts in Tennis History – Just 24 Hours After Alcaraz’s Exit!”

The US Open 2024 has made history as the first Grand Slam in over 22 years to reach the round of 16 without the men’s No. 2 or 3 seeds. In just 24 hours, the tournament witnessed two major upsets. On Thursday night, in front of a full house at Arthur Ashe Stadium, 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz was surprisingly defeated by world No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets. The following evening, on the same court, defending champion Novak Djokovic lost to No. 28 seed Alexei Popyrin in four sets, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, during the third round.

Few predicted these outcomes. Alcaraz, despite a disappointing first-round loss to Gael Monfils in Cincinnati two weeks ago, came into the US Open as a top contender, having won titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and securing a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Djokovic, fresh off a historic gold medal at the Olympics, was aiming for his 25th major title. Both players were favorites, with many fans hoping for a showdown in the final next week. However, the tournament had other plans.

Popyrin, who has enjoyed a successful summer in the U.S. with a Masters 1000 title in Montreal, played an aggressive match against Djokovic, hitting 50 winners and taking advantage of the Serb’s uncharacteristically poor serving. This victory marked the biggest win of Popyrin’s career. He had previously pushed Djokovic to four sets at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, but this time he managed to secure the win. For van de Zandschulp, his triumph over Alcaraz was due to his aggressive playstyle, which disrupted the Spaniard’s usual baseline game and left him without an effective backup strategy.

The losses for Djokovic and Alcaraz represent significant milestones in tennis history. Djokovic described his performance as “awful” and among the worst he has ever played. This marks his earliest exit at a Grand Slam since the 2017 Australian Open and his earliest exit at the US Open since 2006. Furthermore, it is the first time since 2004 that none of the Big Three—Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer—have reached the round of 16 in a major tournament. It is also the first year since 2002 that none of them have won at least one Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz’s defeat marked his third career exit in the second round of a Grand Slam, the first since Wimbledon in 2021, where he lost to then-second seed Daniil Medvedev. With the early exits of both Alcaraz and Djokovic, the US Open 2024 will go down in history as a tournament that broke the mold.e mold.