Novak Djokovic lost in the first round of the US Open for the first time in his career Sunday, falling to Argentina’s Mariano Navone 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a 4-hour, 36-minute match that left the 39-year-old vomiting, cramping and grimacing through the final sets before the match ended just before midnight.
It was the earliest exit of a Grand Slam in Djokovic’s career in two decades, his last first-round loss at a major dating to the 2006 Australian Open. He had been 19-0 in US Open first-round matches entering Sunday night. The defeat snaps a 78-match win streak in the opening round of Slams, the longest such streak by any man in the Open era.
Djokovic said afterward that he did not enjoy himself, describing an awful feeling on the court from early in the match. He said he struggled from the fourth game onward and that the feeling of how his body was performing made the experience not enjoyable. He said he essentially despised every moment he spent on the court.
He made 70 unforced errors. He described vomiting as something he has been carrying through almost every match this year, saying it compounds into a full body breakdown that includes cramping and pain. He said his back gave out by the end along with his shoulder, and that he could not close it out.
What happened on the court
Djokovic built early 3-0 and 4-1 leads before losing the first set, the first time that had happened to him in a US Open first round since 2006. He swallowed medication brought by a doctor during the match and had his lower back treated during a medical timeout between the fourth and fifth sets. He was seen grabbing his left foot in what appeared to be cramping.
Despite his physical state, there were stretches where he appeared at his best. He won the second and third sets and showed the crowd his classic gestures of celebration. But Navone did not fade. The 25-year-old won his first ATP title earlier this year and did not fade under the lights against the most decorated player in the sport’s history. Djokovic could not generate enough in the fifth set to chase down his 43rd five-set win. Navone completed the first five-set victory of his career.
Navone said he grew up idolizing Djokovic and called it the best thing he has had on court, describing it as a dream come true and the biggest stage he had ever played.
The record and the uncertainty
The defeat drops Djokovic out of the ATP top 10 for the first time since July 2018. This year’s US Open is now the first Slam since the 2003 French Open not to feature Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal in the second round.
He has now gone 12 straight majors without a title, tying the longest drought of his career. He won his record 24th Slam at the 2023 US Open.
The loss came 21 years to the day of his US Open debut. After the match, Djokovic said he was trying to address what is going on and how far he can continue this way. The question of whether Sunday’s match was his final Grand Slam appearance was not answered, but it was clearly present.
His wife Jelena watched from the stands with visible concern throughout the match.
Navone
Navone is now the second top-10 player he has defeated this year, having also beaten Felix Auger-Aliassime in Rome earlier this season, making Navone one of the rising players on clay and hard courts. Navone entered Sunday 0-4 in five-set matches on the ATP Tour and had never won in five sets before. He described the atmosphere and the match as amazing and said he did not quite know what to say after winning.
