Novak Djokovic is out of the US Open after a stunning first-round defeat, marking his earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament in more than two decades.
The Serbian great had not lost at the opening hurdle of a major since the 2006 Australian Open. But, still chasing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, Djokovic was beaten by unseeded world No 49 Mariano Navone in a five-set battle, 6(5)-7, 7-5, 6-4, 2-6, 1-6.
Djokovic began the season by reaching the final of the year’s first Grand Slam, even taking a set from eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. Nine months later, however, Sunday night’s loss at Flushing Meadows is certain to fuel fresh debate over how much longer the world No 5 can remain among tennis’s elite.
Navone, a clay-court specialist determined to drag Djokovic into punishing rallies and extend points at every opportunity, made life uncomfortable from the outset. Lasting four hours and 37 minutes, it became the longest first-round match of the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s career, and Djokovic never truly found rhythm.
The physical concerns were impossible to ignore. Djokovic had struggled with heat exhaustion during his bruising second-round loss at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month, and in Flushing Meadows he was again sick multiple times during the third set.
The Serbian serial champion was in the sixth game when he was overcome with the issue, bent double at the back of the court as he voided his stomach.
Novak Djokovic battled his body during his titanic US Open first-round match against Argentina’s Mariano Navone
Djokovic dropped the first set before rallying to win the next two on Sunday in Queens
Despite throwing up again during the game, the 39-year-old held his serve, and went on to win his second set after dropping the first during an uncharacteristically error-strewn tiebreak.
During the opening stages of the match – before the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof was closed due to inclement weather, Djokovic visibly struggled with the humid New York evening, rubbing his head with an ice bag and at times clutching his temples as if affected by a headache.
In one of the early breaks in play, Djokovic went as far as to ask the supervisor if once the roof was closed, the air conditioning could be turned on.
When play restarted following the roof’s closure, Djokovic took two tablets given to him by a tournament physio as he continued to grapple with the early stages.
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Deep in the third set, Djokovic was also able to take on fluids shared with him by his team seated courtside, as his camp attempted to find a solution as the match ticked towards its fourth hour.
In the stands, Djokovic’s wife Jelena looked desolate as her husband battled both his opponent and his own body, at times putting her head in her hands as she watched the match play out.
After his defeat in Cincinnati to another Argentine, Thiago Agustin Tirante, Djokovic revealed that in recent years he had struggled with the heat more than ever after developing a health condition that has affected him ‘for the past couple of years’.
‘(It causes) a lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot,’ Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. ‘I did anticipate it, but there are all these things, like nerves and everything involved that make it worse, and that’s what happened.’
Post-puke, Djokovic appeared to regain his footing in the match as he saw out the third set, and claimed an early break in the fourth.
But despite a comeback to build a one-set lead over his opponent, Djokovic dipped in the fourth set and was forced to go the distance
The 39-year-old received a medical timeout ahead of the fifth set but saw no quick change
But the Argentine proved he was down but not out with an immediate break-back which left Djokovic shaking his head in disbelief.
After stopping the rot, Navone went on a tear, shutting Djokovic out of the set to force a decider and take the match towards hour five.
Before starting the fifth set, Djokovic took on more tablets and received a medical timeout, with a US Open trainer massaging the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s lower back before he stepped out once again onto the tournament’s show court – after swapping his black match shirt for a clean white one.
But the final set was a swift one as Djokovic unravelled at pace, at times looking visibly emotional as chances for one final miraculous comeback slipped from his grasp.