New York (AP) - Novak Djokovic did not hold back in criticizing his lackluster performance at the U.S. Open, citing his poor serving as the main reason for his surprising defeat in the third round. Djokovic expressed that he played some of the worst tennis of his career, with his serving being particularly subpar. With 14 double faults in the match, Djokovic fell to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia in a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 loss, adding to the shock following Carlos Alcaraz's previous exit from the tournament.

It is only the third time since the Open era that two of the top three men's seeds at the U.S. Open have been eliminated before the fourth round, with previous instances occurring in 1973 and 2000.

Reflecting on his performance, Djokovic acknowledged that he was far from his best and struggled to find his game. This marks Djokovic's earliest exit at Flushing Meadows since 2006, as he aimed to make history with 25 Grand Slam singles titles. However, after undergoing knee surgery in June, Djokovic finishes a season without a major title for the first time since 2017.

The surprise exits of Djokovic and Alcaraz now leave Daniil Medvedev as the sole past U.S. Open men's champion remaining in the tournament. Medvedev is set to face Flavio Cobolli in the third round.

For Popyrin, the victory over Djokovic marks a significant breakthrough in his career, as he had previously struggled against the Serbian player. Popyrin's strong serving and aggressive playstyle proved to be effective against Djokovic, leading to his first-ever win over the former champion.