Norrie loses to Djokovic again as British singles interest ends

Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion, battled through injury to reach the fourth round, making Cameron Norrie the last British singles player to lose at the US Open.

Following a 6-4, 6-7 (3-7) 6-2, 6-3 defeat in New York, Norrie, 30, has now lost all seven of his meetings with the 38-year-old Serb.

Djokovic, who is competing for a 25th consecutive major title, had a bad back injury in the opening set that required a medical timeout.

Early in the second set, the four-time US Open champion requested more care.

Seven weeks ago, he lost in the Wimbledon semi-finals, which he won in his first tournament.

In his on-court interview following a nearly three-hour contest, Djokovic said, “You want to win in straight sets without any drama,” but that’s not possible.

British No. 2 Norrie said he was “ready for anything” from No. 7 seed Djokovic, including witnessing his opponent’s fitness issues before regaining his level.

However, the 35-year-old was unable to entice Djokovic into gruesome physical fights as he had hoped.

When Norrie moved a breakup early in the third set, he briefly threatened to shock the match.

However, Djokovic quickly responded by hitting a double fault on break point, and Norrie largely failed to stop him. He then regained control with a precise serving performance.

Since Jimmy Connors, who was also 38 years old, in 1991, Djokovic became the oldest man to reach the US Open fourth round.

“I’m still trying to find my groove,” I said. Djokovic said, “Today I played the best I’ve ever done in a tournament.”