Alcaraz calls Djokovic’s early US Open exit a “big surprise”

Carlos Alcaraz described Novak Djokovic’s first-round departure from the US Open as a "big surprise" after the Serbian lost to Argentina’s Mariano Navone in five sets.

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I watched the fifth set and, obviously, it was the first time Novak had lost in the first round here at this tournament, so it was a big surprise, to be honest.

Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, had never previously lost his opening match at the New York tournament. His record stood at 19-0 in US Open first rounds and 37-0 across opening rounds at all four Grand Slam events before the defeat.

Alcaraz watched the fifth set and said the result was striking because of Djokovic’s record. But he also stressed the demands of a Grand Slam, where every player must win every point from the start of the match to the finish.

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For someone like Novak to fall in the first round is surprising, but this is a Grand Slam and it is really difficult to get through every round.

The result removed a potential semifinal meeting between Djokovic and Alcaraz from the tournament bracket. The two players were placed in the same half, although Alcaraz said the semifinals remained far from his immediate focus. The 23-year-old Spaniard, who won last year’s New York title, will next play Portugal’s Jaime Faria, ranked 72nd, on Wednesday, September 2.

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All the players are very tough and you have to earn the victory from the first ball to the last.