- Alexei Popyrin secured a monumental victory by beating Novak Djokovic 3-1
- Djokovic admitted it was ‘a terrible match for me’ and made 14 double faults
- Popyrin reaches the quarterfinals and will face American Frances Tiafoe
Tennis fans are very fond of Alexei Popyrin after his victory over Novak Djokovic in the third round of the men’s singles tournament at the US Open.
The Australian, who is ranked 28th in the ATP rankings, roared and held his arms aloft at Arthur Ashe Stadium after beating the Olympic champion 3-1.
The 25-year-old has never beaten world number two Djokovic in his career. The two have played each other three times before. Popyrin took a two-set lead, but eventually caused a huge surprise by winning 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4.
‘[It was] ‘Just a terrible match for me,’ said Djokovic. Earlier this week, the Serbian player confirmed that he had been suffering from an abdominal problem during the tournament at Flushing Meadows.
But the Serb did not play as he wanted on Friday evening and made no fewer than 14 double faults, which Popyrin took good advantage of.
Alexei Popyrin has been criticised for his celebrations after claiming a 3-1 win over Novak Djokovic
Djokovic admitted it was ‘a terrible match for me’ after making 14 double faults
As the match progressed, Popyrin’s confidence grew and he shouted to the crowd after beating Djokovic in the fourth set, advancing to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career.
Still, some were not happy with his festivities. For example, someone wrote on X (formerly Twitter): ‘Popyrin really drove me crazy with his way of doing things.’
Another wrote: ‘Ngl, it kinda annoyed me. I was hoping Novak would come back and win just to shut him up, but Pop [Popyrin] I just played one of those matches and Novak didn’t seem to be anywhere near his normal level.
‘From his first match it seemed like he [Djokovic] couldn’t find that level.
Another fan seemed to spark a debate on the social media platform, seemingly criticizing Popyrin by writing, “Yes! You guys are shouting! You guys are celebrating! You guys are beating a 37-year-old man who has been celebrating his gold medal for too long!
‘Who hit 14 double faults and couldn’t find a first serve because of stomach problems! You scream! You put your fist in the air. You did well!’
But one fan responded, pointing to Djokovic’s past, where he said he always cheered against injured opponents, including Roger Federer.
After beating the world number 2 in the fourth set, Popyrin gave a loud shout to the fans in the Arthur Ashe Stadium
But fans remained divided online, with some slamming the Australian for his celebrations while others disagreed.
“Are you serious?” the X user replied. “Because that’s how Novak Djokovic celebrated his victory against a clearly injured and hampered Federer in AO 2020.
‘What Popyrin did was nowhere near as bad as what Djokovic did here.’
Another added: ‘No one is or will ever come close to GOAT Djokovic. I’ve never seen Pop play so powerful and fast… and move so well, I’m sure he got a good massage.’
Popyrin delivered a great performance to defeat the 24-time Grand Slam winner, beating Djokovic with a whopping 50 winners to secure a quarter-final against American Frances Tiafoe.
It was the third time that Popyrin and Djokovic met at a Grand Slam tournament, after they also met in Tokyo in 2019.
It is the first time Popyrin has defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion and he advances to the quarterfinals to face Frances Tiafoe
Djokovic will now have to wait until next year for a shot at his 25th Grand Slam
“Third time’s the charm, I think,” Popyrin said. “We’ve had battles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
“I had chances in those matches, but I didn’t take them. This match was different. I was able to take my chances when I had them. I played good tennis.”