Olympics fatigue evident at US Open 2024 as medalists Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz & Lorenzo Musetti exit in 1st week

The 2024 US Open campaign of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti endured the brunt of the fatigue from the Paris Olympics. The Serb who secured the gold medal, Alcaraz the silver and Musetti the bronze medal, exited the New York Slam in the first week.

Novak Djokovic defeated Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals at the Olympic Games, who later redeemed himself by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 to win the bronze. The former World No.1 then triumphed over Carlos Alcaraz 7–6(3), 7–6(2) to clinch the gold, leaving the Spaniard with the silver.

At the 2024 US Open, defending champion Novak Djokovic, aiming to secure his fifth New York Slam title and 25th Grand Slam title, was seeded second. He began his campaign with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over qualifier Radu Albot in the first round.

The former World No.1 then advanced to the third round after his second-round opponent, Laslo Djere retired from their match due to injury, with the score reading 6-2, 6-2, 2-0 (ret.). However, his campaign at Flushing Meadows ended in the third round when he fell to 28th seed Alexei Popyrin 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz was seeded third at the US Open and kicked off his campaign with a solid 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over qualifier Li Tu in the first round. His journey at Flushing Meadows ended when he suffered a surprising defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round (1-6, 5-7, 4-6).

Lorenzo Musetti also started strong by defeating Reilly Opelka 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the first round. He continued his winning streak by overcoming Miomir Kecmanovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 in the second round. However, the Italian also faced an exit in the third round after he fell to Brandon Nakashima 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(4). The fatigue from competing in the Olympics was evident in their performances.

Novak Djokovic on his US Open 2024 3R loss: “Didn't have any physical issues, I just felt out of gas”

Speaking to the press, following his loss to Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the 2024 US Open, Novak Djokovic admitted that he had one of the "worst" performances of his career against the Aussie.

Novak Djokovic [Source: Getty]

“I felt and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, third round is a success. I mean, I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly, serving by far the worst ever,” he said.

The Serb described the match as "awful" and acknowledged that he did not perform up to his usual standards. He clarified that his struggles were not due to physical ailments, rather he simply felt drained and lacked the necessary energy to compete at his best.

“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. Yeah, it was just an awful match for me. I didn't have any physical issues . I just felt out of gas and you could see that with the way I played,” he added.

Last year, Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 6–3, 7–6(5), 6–3 to claim his fourth US Open title and 24th Grand Slam title overall.