Novak Djokovic was knocked out in the first round of the US Open in his first Grand Slam appearance in more than two decades after his body failed due to a health condition he has struggled with for most of this year.
Not since 2006 Australian Open the Serbian serial champion fell the first time he called for a major, and decades later Djokovic did so against unseeded world No. 49 Mariano Navone, 6(5)-7, 7-5, 6-4, 2-6, 1-6.
At the first Grand Slam of the year, Djokovic played the final and took an eventual winner Carlos AlcarazBut nine months later, Sunday night’s result will undoubtedly raise questions about how long the world number five can continue to fight at the top of the sport.
With the absence of world number 1 Jannik Sinner Due to injury and Alcaraz playing his first match since April in New York after taking a significant timeout himself, Djokovic’s name was among those who might have capitalized on an open draw in the United States. Instead, he falls out of the top 10 for the first time since 2018.
Down 3-1 in the fifth set, Djokovic seemed moved to tears in the fifth hour of the match. A record-breaking 25th Grand Slam may never have seemed so far away.
Novak Djokovic appeared close to tears as he lost his first-round match at this year’s US Open
The Serbian champion has not left a major at this stage since the 2006 Australian Open
Against Navone, a gritty clay specialist determined to stretch the points as long as possible to push Djokovic to the edge, everything was difficult. At four hours and 37 minutes, it was the longest first-round match of the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s career, and he struggled from the very start.
In the immediate aftermath, Djokovic admitted he “despised” every moment he spent on court, as he continued to cite the unnamed problem as a major factor in his body breaking down.
“It’s something that unfortunately I have to deal with almost every match this year,” Djokovic said, referring to the “health condition” he first mentioned this month after his defeat at the Cincinnati Open.
“Vomiting, vomiting, a serious problem, and then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramps and pain, and the back finally gave up, and the shoulder, and I couldn’t shut it down.”
When asked if he thought he could fix it, Djokovic simply replied: “I don’t know. I’m trying, dude. I’m trying. Let’s see.’
Just like in Ohio, Djokovic again had to throw up several times during the third set in Flushing Meadows.
He was in the sixth game when the problem overwhelmed him, bent double at the back of the court as he emptied his stomach.
Despite vomiting again during the match, the 39-year-old held serve to win his second straight set after dropping the opener during a tiebreak full of uncharacteristic errors.
During the opening stages of the match – before the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium was closed due to rain – Djokovic was quickly unhappy on the humid New York evening, rubbing his head with an ice pack and at times clutching his temples as if suffering from a headache.
In one of the first stoppages in play, Djokovic rushed the supervisor to turn on the air conditioning when the roof was closed.
When play resumed, Djokovic took two tablets given to him by a tournament physio as he continued to struggle with his fitness in the early stages.
Deep into the third set, Djokovic also ingested fluids shared with him by his courtside team as his camp tried to find a solution as the match approached the fourth hour.
Higher up in the stands, Djokovic’s wife Jelena looked forlorn as her husband battled both his opponent and his own body, occasionally putting her head in her hands as she watched the match unfold.
Djokovic later admitted that he did consider retiring due to his physical complaints, but that winning the second and third sets had put that option aside.
Following his defeat in Cincinnati to another Argentinian, Thiago Agustin Tirante, Djokovic revealed that he had been struggling with the heat more than ever in recent years after developing a health condition that has affected him ‘in recent years’.
Djokovic’s family removed concerned figures from their seats at Arthur Ashe on Sunday evening
The 39-year-old was given a medical timeout prior to the fifth set, but saw no quick change
From the start of the clash, Djokovic struggled with the humid climate in New York
Despite a comeback to build a one-set lead over his opponent, Djokovic plunged in the fourth set and was forced to go the distance.
Mariano Navone played the perfect match to outwit Djokovic and claim the biggest victory of his career under the lights
After throwing up in New York, Djokovic initially appeared to regain his footing in the match as he saw out the third set and claimed an early break in the fourth.
But the Argentine proved he was down, but not out, with an immediate break-back that left Djokovic shaking his head in disbelief.
After stopping the rot, Navone went on a tear, locking Djokovic out of the set to force a decider and bring the match to hour five.
Before starting the fifth set, Djokovic took more tablets and was given a medical timeout, with a US Open coach massaging the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s lower back before re-entering the tournament’s show court in a crisp white shirt.
But the final set was fast-paced, with Djokovic breaking away at a rapid pace and looking visibly emotional at times as the chances of a final miraculous comeback eluded him.
