Djokovic, Pogacar, Itauma – and a timely reminder of why we love sport

It was a sporting weekend of shocks to see out the summer and the month of August.

First, we had Tadej Pogacar – aiming to complete a full set of Grand Tour victories – crashing out of the Vuelta a España on Saturday from the lead. 

Later that day, Moses Itauma was stunned by Filip Hrgovic in round nine at London’s O2 Arena, the Briton missing out on the vacant IBF heavyweight title and suffering the first defeat of his career. 

And then, on Sunday night, the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis, Novak Djokovic, was knocked out of a Grand Slam in the first round for the first time in over 20 years, with his body letting him down in a five-set loss at the US Open to Mariano Navone of Argentina. 

And how different we all thought it would be. Last week, my colleagues and I could not help but look a step ahead: Pogacar would obviously romp home to victory in the Vuelta, Itauma would obviously be British boxing’s next big thing after Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury - and Djokovic would obviously challenge in the latter stages in New York, particularly in the absence of Jannik Sinner and with Carlos Alcaraz undercooked after four months out, with the Serb's eyes set on a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. 

Note to self: play with fire and prepare to be burned. 

Isn’t this the beauty of top-tier sport, though? Just when you think you know what’s next, when the outcome seems so inevitable that it’s worth going that bit bolder with your headline and opinion piece, a curveball (whether it be an accident, a knockout surprise or a physical collapse) is just around the corner. 

No weekend told us this better than the August Bank Holiday. And, on the theme of bewilderment, tonight at 11pm sees the transfer window slam shut after a summer of extraordinary price tags. Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney explains why "£100m is the new baseline" here. 

Novak Djokovic was emotional as he crashed out of the US Open in the first round (Getty)

England men’s Test cricket captain Joe Root is yet to score a red-ball international century this summer. When was the last English summer that Root failed to record a Test hundred for his country? 

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Arsenal’s belief in the power of the collective may cost individuals: as Bruno Fernandes scooped the personal prizes last year, there was the thought that maybe it would have been different had Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 seasons been credited solely to one player. If there was something quintessentially Arteta about Arsenal’s win at Villa Park – a clean sheet produced by such solidity that David Raya did not have a shot to save – the teamsheet was a sign of his approach.

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