"Extremely difficult to cope mentally...Don’t strike a man when he is down": Karen Khachanov pleads for 'less hate' after devastating US Open 1R exit

Karen Khachanov has called for understanding and respect following his grueling first-round defeat at the US Open 2024. The match, which saw Khachanov lose to Britain’s Daniel Evans in a five-set thriller, has been recorded as the longest in the tournament’s history.

Khachanov faced off against Evans on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, with the latter winning 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 after five hours and 35 minutes.

The intensity of the competition was palpable, with each of the five sets on Court 6 exceeding an hour in duration. The third set alone stretched on for a staggering 72 minutes.

Following his exit from the tournament, Khachanov became the target of online hate. The backlash Khachanov received online, however, prompted him to address the negativity directly.

Posted on his official social media accounts on Wednesday, August 28, Khachanov revealed that he woke up the next day feeling as though he had been "beaten up with a bat," with his body still cramping from the extended effort on the court.

"Yesterday I had one of the longest toughest and emotional matches in my career,” Khachanov wrote. “I woke up today with the feeling that I was beaten up with a bat. I tried not to show it at all but after 5 and a half hours in the fifth set I had cramps all over my body," Karen Khachanov wrote on Instagram.

"I am not trying to say that I lost because of this. No. It’s not an excuse. We had the same conditions with my opponent and it was a mental fight in the end. I am extremely devastated and disappointed that I could not get the victory in the end. But I want to stress out that after matches like this, painful losses like this it is extremely difficult to cope with this mentally," he added.

Khachanov pleaded with his followers to be more considerate and compassionate, particularly after such a taxing match.

"Please, I am asking you to be respectful. Don’t strike a man when he is down. I may be down but not out! I am sure I can get over this, do the right work, and get back on court better than before. I will be grateful for all the support that I get. Let’s be kind to one another. Less hate and more love and the world will become a better place," Karen Khachanov wrote.

This match surpassed the previous record for the longest US Open match, a semifinal battle between Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang in 1992. Edberg won that match 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-4 in five hours and 26 minutes.

Daniel Evans will next face Mariano Navone, with the winner of the match taking on either tenth seed Alex de Minaur or Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in the third round.

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Karen Khachanov suffers second consecutive early exit at the US Open

Karen Khachanov's best US Open performance came in 2022, when he reached the semifinals after beating Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals. However, the Russian is yet to win a match at Flushing Meadows since beating the Aussie. His US Open campaign in 2022 came to an end after losing to Casper Ruud in the last four.

Khachanov's next two appearances at the New York Major saw him suffer first-round defeats. The Russian was seeded 11th at the 2023 US Open and lost 2-6, 4-6, 2-6 to Michael Mmoh in the opening round.

Khachanov's loss to Evans marks the fourth time he lost in the first round of the New York Major. Interestingly, the US Open is the only Grand Slam where the 28-year-old has suffered opening-round exits.