I felt like an amateur: Novak Djokovic calls 2024 his weakest season in 15 years after shock Popyrin loss

Novak Djokovic gave a harsh verdict after he lost out to Alexei Popyrin in further quotes which were compiled by Serbian media after he was dumped out of the US Open.

Djokovic spoke to the media and said that he felt like he was an amateur and that he was sick of playing how he is currently. It was a pretty poor loss for Djokovic against Popyrin who himself has recently won Toronto in a career best win.

But aside from that, it is a best win aside from that for Popyrin who blows that section wide open with Carlos Alcaraz also losing out earlier in the week.

“I don’t know, to tell you the truth, I have no idea,” he said. “My game completely fell apart. I’m not fresh… Fast conditions, totally different compared to where I trained and prepared.

“I was sick of playing this way and feeling this way. I seemed and felt like an amateur at times. It is a reality, an integral part of sport.

“At the Olympics, there was a huge emptying, there was a thought whether I should come here at all, I finished ingloriously, let’s move on.”

But he also said that it feels like his weakest season in the last 15 years which is technically true given that he won't win a Grand Slam for the first time in many years.

“I had a feeling that I could win the title at RG, but I got injured there,” Djokovic continued. “The Wimbledon final. The Olympics was the biggest goal, that’s where I played my best.

“If it’s such a year to win only that gold, I accept it, I’ve been waiting for it all my life. The weakest season in terms of results in the last 15 years, that’s how I feel, but that’s how it is.”