Tennis great Jimmy Connors has played down the suggestion Novak Djokovic did not have high expectations for himself at the 2024 US Open due to his Olympics victory.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion thinks, though, that Djokovic achieving his goal of winning an Olympic gold will have made the Serb “have a different attitude towards a lot of things.”
Djokovic fell to a shock four-set defeat to world No 28 Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the US Open — his earliest loss at a major for over seven years.
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The 37-year-old tennis icon was the defending champion at the US Open, having claimed his 24th and most recent Grand Slam title in New York last year.
Djokovic won his only title of the 2024 campaign so far at the Paris Olympics last month, where he downed Carlos Alcaraz in the final to secure a maiden gold medal.
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On an episode of the Advantage Connors podcast, Jimmy Connors and his son Brett discussed Djokovic’s US Open exit.
Brett Connors said: “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 revelling in the Olympic gold medal.”
Connors did not agree with his son’s assessment and argued Djokovic would have been expecting to win at Flushing Meadows despite the impact of his Olympic title.
“That (the Olympics) certainly was an accomplishment and the one that was on his bucket list,” said the American.
“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.
“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 (the Olympics) 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.”
The former world No 1 also feels the surprise losses suffered by Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz presents American players with a great opportunity at the US Open.
“I mean, they are young, they are big, they are strong and before I would say they didn’t have quite a healthy experience, but they do now know what it is like to get into the second week of a Grand Slam,” Connors added.
“You can’t win the tournament in the first week, but you can certainly lose it. Now, they made it into the second week. This is when you separate the top from the rest.
“With those four guys, Djokovic is out, and Carlos is out, that opens up a whole lot of space for a lot of guys to come through. What an opportunity with those two guys out!”