Novak Djokovic is reeling from his shock US Open defeat and the rest of 2024 appears to be laced with peril for the 24-time Grand Slam king.

Djokovic said he “played some of the worst tennis I have ever played” after he followed Carlos Alcaraz in crashing out of the US Open.

Alcaraz was the subject of one of the tournament’s biggest upsets when he was dumped out by world number 76 Botic van De Zandschulp on Thursday night.

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And 24 hours later, defending champion Djokovic joined him in leaving New York early after 28th seed Alexei Popyrin won 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 in the third round.

Defeat for Djokovic means it is the first time since 2017 he has not won a major title and is his earliest exit at a major since the Australian Open that year.

It extends the Serbian’s wait for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title and, at 37, his domination may be coming to an end.

What comes next will say much about Djokovic’s commitment to continue to push for more at the top of the game, with confirmation that he will play for Serbia in their Davis Cup World Group I playoffs against Greece later this month.

Serbia need to win that tie to get back into a position to challenge for Davis Cup glory in 2025 and if Djokovic plays against Greece, it suggests he still has ambitions to win the Davis Cup once again next year.

He has also been entered into the Shanghai Masters, but it is unclear whether he will make the decision to fly to China to take part in that part of the ATP Tour season.

Djokovic has not played in Shanghai since 2019, but he will need to make a decision on whether to make the long trip this time as he is in danger of missing out on a place in the end-of-season ATP Finals in Turin in November.

The Serbian won the ATP Finals last year, beating Jannik Sinner in a thrilling final to confirm his status as the world No 1.

With his limited schedule and poor results, by his standards, on the first half of 2024, Djokovic is down in seventh place in this year’s ATP Race To Turin.

The top eight players in that list will play in the ATP Finals, with Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul pushing to overtake Djokovic in the ATP Race at this year’s US Open.

The top eight players qualify for the lucrative ATP Finals, with Djokovic’s win at that event last year securing him 1,300 ATP Ranking points.

He also has 1,000 points to defend from his win at the Paris Masters event last year, but the biggest concern for Djokovic will be securing a chance to defend his ATP Finals title.

If he opted out of playing in China and didn’t enjoy success at this year’s Paris Masters, Djokovic may well be outside of the top eight places in the ATP Race To Turin.

Djokovic may not be too concerned about his ATP Ranking at this late phase of his career, but he will want to be part of the ATP Finals, where he is a seven-time champion.

He will need to improve on his performance if he is to get into the mix for a return to Turin, with Djokovic scathing of his performance, against Popyrin.

“Honestly, the way I felt and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, third round is a success,” said Djokovic.

“I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly, serving by far the worst ever.

“If you play on a quick surface like this without the serve, without the ability to win free points there, very low first-serve percentage, many double faults, then you can’t win.

“You can’t win, especially against the guys who are in form like Alexei who is serving big, puts a lot of pressure on your service game. It was just an awful match for me.”

Jannik Sinner addressed the upset defeats suffered by his rivals Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open as he continued his title bid with a dominant victory. 

The world No 1 reflected that the surprise losses prove “anything can happen in this sport” as he outlined his approach of staying focused on himself.

Alcaraz crashed out of the hard-court major in a stunning straight-set second round defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday. The 21-year-old Spaniard, who was seeded third, won the previous two Grand Slams at the French Open and Wimbledon.

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Djokovic, who was the defending US Open champion, followed Alcaraz out of the tournament on Friday after a four-set third round loss to Alexei Popyrin. The 37-year-old Serbian claimed the gold medal at the Paris Olympics in his previous event.

With the exit of his two biggest competitors, Sinner emerged as the clear favourite to win the men’s singles title at the US Open.

The 23-year-old Italian star solidified this status by steamrolling Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium court in the third round at Flushing Meadows.

Sinner broke the 30-year-old Australian five times and did not face a single break point on his own serve in a one-sided contest. He now holds a 2-1 record against O’Connell, who is currently ranked 87th in the world.

In his on-court interview after his victory, Sinner gave his reaction to the upsets of Alcaraz and Djokovic.

“As we see, anything can happen in this sport,” Sinner said. “I try to stay on my side of the net. Taking it day by day. Each opponent is a tough challenge. Trying to enjoy every moment on the court.

“There have been a couple of upsets. Let’s see what’s coming. I’m happy to still be here and hopefully play as many matches as possible.”

On the match, Sinner added: “For sure, today was a great match. I knew I had to play very solid throughout the whole match. We played a few times.

“The serve was working well today. I’m happy about my performance. Obviously thanks everyone for the support. It’s been amazing.”

Sinner will face either Tommy Paul or Gabriel Diallo in the last 16 of the US Open as he continues his bid to add a second Grand Slam title to his 2024 Australian Open crown.

Jannik Sinner has successfully appealed against a drug ban after two tests confirmed he had a banned substance in his system, with the route taken to reach an outcome in the case having a direct impact on his biggest rivals Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

Tennis players who test positive for a banned substance tend to be suspended until the outcome of the case, as highlighted in the high-profile case against Simona Halep.

Yet Sinner was allowed to continue his career after he failed a drug test at the Indian Wells Masters earlier this year, with that failed drug test confirmed in a second test.

READ: Jannik Sinner widens gap to Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in rankings with Cincinnati title as he creates Italian history

Sinner, who warmed up for the US Open starting later this month by winning the Cincinnati title on Monday, first tested positive on March 10.

He was red-flagged again in an out-of-competition test eight days later, with both samples yielding trace amounts of clostebol, but he was able to continue playing on the ATP Tour after successfully challenging a provisional suspension.

Scientific experts consulted by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) concluded Sinner’s account – in which his physiotherapist had used an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol on his skin between March 5 to 13 – was credible.

Sinner said in a statement: “I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me. I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping programme and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”

Sinner will clearly be relieved to emerge from this story without any punishment, but several prominent names in the game have expressed their surprise that the Italian was not suspended while his case was ongoing.

“Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now,” said Canadian player Denis Shapovalov. “Different rules for different players.”

Athletes have had their careers put on hold during the appeals process, but Sinner played in the Madrid Masters after winning an appeal against a ban, before he went on to play at Wimbledon.

He then reached the quarter-finals at the Montreal Masters earlier this month before winning the Cincinnati Masters with a win against Frances Tiafoe in the final.

That run of results allowed Sinner to open up his lead at the top of the ATP rankings and he will head into the US Open as No 1 seed and with a comfortable lead at the top of the rankings.

Had Sinner been blocked from playing after his positive drug test at Indian Wells, he would not have the 1,000 points on his record from his win in Miami.

He would also have missed out on the 600 points he picked up at the Monte Carlo and Madrid Masters tournaments, as well as the 1,300 points on his record from runs to the semi-finals at the French Open and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

Add in the 500 points he collected from his win in the grass court event in Halle in June and the 1,200 ranking points gained from his performances at the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters this month and it adds up to a total of 4,600 ranking points collected since his first failed drug test.

The removal of those points would have left Sinner’s current points tally at 5,160, which would leave him at No 6 in the world rankings.

Djokovic and Alcaraz would have spent time in the No 1 position if Sinner had been suspended since his first positive test, yet the ITIA have insisted that have followed their protocols by allowing the Italian to continue to play.

“Sinner provided an in-competition sample at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, USA, on 10 March 2024, which contained the presence of a metabolite of clostebol at low levels,” read the ITIA statement.

“A further sample, conducted out of competition eight days later, also tested positive for the same metabolite – again at low levels.

“Clostebol is an anabolic agent prohibited at all times under Section S1 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.  Under the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC), when a player returns an Adverse Analytical Finding for a non-specified substance, like clostebol, a provisional suspension is automatically applied. The player has the right to apply to an independent tribunal chair appointed by Sport Resolutions to have that provisional suspension lifted.

“As such, after each positive test, a provisional suspension was applied. On both occasions, Sinner successfully appealed the provisional suspension and so has been able to continue playing.

“The player explained that the substance had entered their system as a result of contamination from a support team member, who had been applying an over-the-counter spray (available in Italy) containing clostebol to their own skin to treat a small wound.

“That support team member applied the spray between 5 and 13 March, during which time they also provided daily massages and sports therapy to Sinner, resulting in unknowing transdermal contamination.

“Following consultation with scientific experts, who concluded that the player’s explanation was credible, the ITIA did not oppose the player’s appeals to lift the provisional suspensions.

“A thorough investigation by the ITIA followed, including multiple in-depth interviews with Sinner and their support team, all of whom co-operated fully with the process.  Following that investigation, and in line with the independent scientific advice, the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation as to the source of clostebol found in their sample and that the violation was not intentional.

“The ITIA referred the case to an independent tribunal to consider the specific facts, review any comparable anti-doping decisions, and determine what, if any, fault the player bore and therefore the appropriate outcome.

“A hearing was convened at Sport Resolutions on 15 August 2024, from which the independent tribunal determined a finding of No Fault or Negligence applied in the case, resulting in no period of ineligibility.”

Sinner has been stripped of the prize money and 400 ranking points he gained from reaching the semi-finals at Indian Wells, where he lost in three sets to eventual champion and rival Alcaraz.

Yet as athletes are always responsible for any substance found in their bodies, Sinner may feel fortunate that he was not suspended until his case concluded.