Novak Djokovic's failure to defend his US Open title could prevent the Serbian from qualifying for the ATP Finals for the first time in seven years.
2024 will always be memorable for Djokovic after he won Olympic gold for the first time in his career by defeating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 7-6. That achievement means he has now secured every big title in the sport.
However, Djokovic failed to win a Grand Slam for the first time since 2017 after exiting the US Open to the third round to an inspired Alexei Popyrin. His only final was at Wimbledon, where he lost to Alcaraz in straight sets.
Despite his Olympic gold medal, Djokovic admitted 2024 is his weakest season since 2009 because of his lack of Grand Slam success. It is also the first year Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Djokovic have claimed a Grand Slam since 2002.
Some analysts were not surprised by his early exit at Flushing Meadows. Martina Navratilova was not shocked, either, feeling that his efforts at the Olympics and how much they meant to him made succeeding at the US Open difficult.
Djokovic has also not played a full schedule during other parts of the season. For example, he was absent from the Miami Open and Madrid Open and elected not to play in any tournaments heading into the US Open.
Winning no Grand Slam titles and not playing much at other tournaments could result in Djokovic not featuring at the season-ending ATP Finals, which would be strange.
Djokovic is currently seventh in the race to the ATP Finals. That would be good enough to make it since eight players qualify for the prestigious event to end the ATP season.
Alex de Minaur occupies the final spot on the list in eighth. Taylor Fritz is the closest challenger to the Top 8 in ninth, with other players also in the hunt below them. The race is still wide open.
Djokovic fans should be worried about him qualifying for the ATP Finals. Firstly, Djokovic's planned schedule for the rest of the year is very limited. He made the decision not to sign up for the tournaments in Tokyo or Beijing.
Another issue for Djokovic is that some of the players fighting for their place at the ATP Finals are still in the US Open. De Minaur, in eighth, and Tommy Paul, in tenth, play in the fourth round on Monday, and a deep run for either of them would hurt the 37-year-old's chances.
Djokovic has appeared at every iteration of the finals since 2017, his last poor year on the ATP Tour. His seven titles at the season-ending event is a record, overtaking Roger Federer last year.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion could change his mind and play in Beijing and Tokyo since he would undoubtedly receive a wild card for either tournament. If not, he must perform excellently at the Masters-1000's in Shanghai and Paris to qualify.
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