Cameron Norrie is the final British singles player to fall at the US Open as Novak Djokovic battles through injury to reach the fourth round.
Britain's Cameron Norrie says he might have paid the price for being a "little overconfident" as 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic battled through injury to reach the fourth round.
Norrie has now lost all seven of his meetings with the 38-year-old Serb following a 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-3 defeat in New York.
The 30-year-old left-hander briefly moved ahead in the match when he broke at the start of the third set.
But Djokovic fought back to end British singles interest at the final major tournament of the season.
"I started great in the third set but maybe a little overconfident after breaking," Norrie told BBC Sport.
"He settled into the match after that, competed well and was just too good in the end."
Djokovic, who is bidding for a standalone record 25th major title, struggled with a lower back injury in the opening set and needed a medical time-out off the court.
The four-time US Open champion asked for more treatment early in the second set.
It is his first tournament since losing in the Wimbledon semi-finals in July - seven weeks ago.
"Coming into the match, you want to win in straight sets without any drama - but that's not possible," a smiling Djokovic said after a contest lasting almost three hours.
"My team wants me to suffer on the court so I can spend more minutes there. Looking from that perspective it is good."
After showing signs of vulnerability in opening victories over teenager Learner Tien and qualifier Zachary Svajda, Djokovic produced his best level of the tournament against Norrie.
On his fitness, the seventh seed added: "You have some ups and downs but you don't want to reveal too much to your rivals. I'm as young and as strong as ever."
Norrie still has 'much to smile about'
Pushing one of the all-time greats at a Grand Slam tournament is a measure of how far Norrie has come over the past several months.
After a chastening first-round exit at the Miami Open in March, Norrie flew home to Europe and had a deep think about the direction of his career.
The 2022 Wimbledon semi-finalist was perilously close to dropping out of the world's top 100, struggling to regain form and confidence following a forearm injury which disrupted his 2024 season.
A heart-to-heart with his team followed. The collective conclusion was the group needed to lighten up a little, vowing to enjoy life on tour more again.
Since then, Norrie has reached the French Open fourth round - where he lost to Djokovic - and the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
Even another defeat by Djokovic did not leave him overly disappointed, given where he found himself earlier this year.
"It has been fun - I wouldn't change anything in this tournament," said Norrie.
"There is so much to smile about."
Before the match, Norrie said he was "ready for anything" - including seeing Djokovic struggle with fitness issues before regaining his level.
That is exactly what happened on an entertaining night on Ashe.
Norrie wanted to turn the match into a physical contest, given Djokovic's perceived vulnerabilities, but was unable to sustain his level.
"I wouldn't change too much, I tried to play my brand of tennis, I tried to make it physical," said Norrie.
"In the third and fourth sets I gave him too many cheap points and that was the difference."
'Serving strongly makes things easier'
In the early part of his career, Djokovic's serve was seen as one of the weaker parts of his game.
But it has developed into a potent weapon over the years, with the veteran knowing more than ever it needs to perfect to land another Grand Slam title.
Unable to rely as much on physicality against his younger opponents, Djokovic wants the accuracy of his opening shot to help limit the baseline rallies.
Djokovic used his serve to great effect against Norrie, who rued "getting nowhere it" in the opening set and a half.
Norrie won only two receiving points in the first set, while Djokovic ended with 18 aces - the most he has ever hit in a US Open match.
"Serving so well makes your life easier," said Djokovic, who is the oldest man to reach fourth round since Jimmy Connors in 1991.
"It is probably the most important shot in the game. I'm glad how I executed it."
Category: General Sports
