Djokovic, who had to work hard to win Olympic gold in Paris this month, was sluggish against the energetic Australian, who claimed the biggest win of his career.
“I spent a lot of energy to win gold and I came to New York not feeling fresh mentally or physically,” Djokovic told reporters.
“But since it’s the US Open, I tried and did my best. I didn’t have any physical problems. I just felt weak and that showed in the way I played.”
Popyrin, who lost to Djokovic at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, raised his arms in triumph and smiled broadly after eliminating the defending champion to reach the last 16 of a major tournament for the first time.
“I guess third time’s the charm,” Popyrin said in an on-court interview.
“No, honestly we had some battles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. I had my chances in those matches but I didn’t take advantage of them. This match was a bit different, I was able to take advantage of my opportunities when I had them and I played some good tennis.”
Djokovic had five break point opportunities in the opening set but failed to convert any of them, while Popyrin broke on his first chance to take a 5-4 lead en route to taking the opening set.
Popyrin broke again in the second when Djokovic’s volley went wide for a 3-2 lead and he took control of the match with a perfectly executed serve and volley to capture the second set.
Djokovic showed some life in the third, when the second seed broke with a forehand that Popyrin could not control and took the set to get back into the match.
But the comeback was short-lived as Popyrin let out a mighty roar as he smashed a fierce forehand winner to break serve and go 3-2 up in the fourth set. He completed the upset when Djokovic’s forehand went long on match point.
Veteran Djokovic was uncharacteristically sloppy in the match, committing 14 double faults, a record for him in a Grand Slam match, while his 25-year-old opponent hit 50 winners.
“If you play on a fast surface like this without the serve, without the ability to win free points there, with a very low first serve percentage, a lot of double faults, then you can’t win,” Djokovic said.
“It was a terrible match for me.”
The loss means Djokovic will end this season without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017.
The upset at Arthur Ashe Stadium came a night after third seed and tournament favorite Carlos Alcaraz, who finished runner-up to Djokovic at the Paris Games, was stunned in straight sets by unseeded Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
Popyrin’s next match will be a fourth-round encounter with American Frances Tiafoe.
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