Jimmy Connors shuts down one notion about Novak Djokovic's shock US Open exit (2024)

Jimmy Connors agrees that Novak Djokovic probably relaxed a little bit more than he usually does following his Paris Olympics win but he doesn't agree at all with the notion that the Serb came to the US Open without expecting to win the title.

After accomplishing the biggest goal for this part of his career and completing his resume, the 37-year-old skipped the Masters events in Montreal and Cincinnati. However, some weren't particularly concerned about that since the record 24-time Grand Slam has a history of doing extremely well even with limited preparation.

But at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic was evidently far from his best and it all resulted in him suffering a shock four-set loss to Alexei Popyrin in the first round. For the current world No. 2, it was his earliest US Open since 2006 - when he also exited in round three.

Afterward, the Serbian tennis superstar admitted that he didn't arrive feeling well mentally or physically and that led to some questioning if he just came to the last Major of the year for the sake of competing.

"When he got that medal and maybe relaxed a little, celebrated, had some fun, went to Serbia, hung out with his family and friends. He didn’t play any warm-up events. So do you think like his expectations coming in might not have been that high? He’s still probably reveling in the Olympic gold medal," Brett Connors asked his father on the latest episode of the Advantage Connors podcast.

Connors doesn't agree Djokovic came to the US Open without believing he could win

Last year, the 37-year-old Serb set a new record for the most Grand Slam wins and also became the first player in tennis history with over 400 weeks at the world No. 1 spot. After claiming the two biggest records in the game, the only thing he was lacking was an Olympic gold medal to complete his resume to the absolute fullest.

And while Djokovic evidently felt a bit mentally exhausted in New York, the American tennis legend and former eight-time Major winner is certain that he came wanting to win it all.

"That certainly was an accomplishment and the one that was on his bucket list. He’s won everything else hasn’t he? But I don’t think, especially at this time, when he’s getting older and like everybody else, there’s gonna be an end, I don’t think he’d ever come in not expecting the best of himself," Connors responded to his son's question.

"Even though he did, maybe celebrate a little bit and have some fun all that, I still think when he ties those shoelaces, he expects to come in and be what he’s been all these years, and that’s a winner. But I will go back and say that was a priority and to come off of that and to have won it like he did, probably made him kind of have a different attitude towards a lot of things. But I don’t think he ever wants to cut himself short."

Djokovic's brutally honest assessment of his US Open play

The No. 2 seed started his run at Flushing Meadows with back-to-back straight-set wins over Radu Albot and Laslo Djere - and while on paper it looked like routine - the Serb wasn't particularly happy with how he was serving and he made that clear.

And then after firing 14 unforced errors against Popyrin and just making 56 percent of his first serve, Djokovic slammed his US Open performance as "one of the worst" and remarked that even making the third round was a success considering how badly he played.

"The way I played from the beginning of the tournament reaching the third round is a success. I have played some of my worst tennis ever," the four-time US Open champion admitted.

Following his exit, the 37-year-old confirmed that he was still feeling the physical and mental impacts of his Olympic win.

"I spent a lot of energy to win the gold medal at Paris Olympics and I came to New York not feeling fresh mentally and physically. I came not feeling fresh mentally or physically. Since it's the US Open, I tried. I had no physical problems. I just felt out of gas. You could see it in the way I played from the beginning. From the first match I didn't feel at all on this court. That's all I can say. Life goes on. I'll try to recalibrate and see what happens next," Djokovic said afterward.

Meanwhile, Djokovic will now probably take some time to rest again and mentally recharge before kicking off his preparation for the final part of the season.