Djokovic eliminated in the first round of the US Open for the first time: Navone completes marathon comeback in New York
Novak Djokovic suffered one of the earliest and toughest Grand Slam defeats of his career after Argentina's Mariano Navone beat him 7:6(5), 5:7, 4:6, 6:2, 6:1 in the first round of the 2026 US Open. The match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, played on August 30, lasted four hours and 36 minutes, with the 39-year-old Serbian tennis player surrendering a two-sets-to-one lead and a break advantage in the fourth set. The official US Open website states that Djokovic struggled with vomiting, cramps, and back and shoulder pain during the match, while his movement became increasingly restricted toward the end. Navone took advantage of the shift in momentum, convincingly won the final two sets and recorded the biggest victory of his career. For Djokovic, the defeat was historically unusual: it was the first time he had lost in the first round of the US Open, and he had not exited a Grand Slam tournament in the opening round since the 2006 Australian Open.
A match that turned after three and a half hours
The start of the match gave no indication that the fourth seed would be leaving the tournament on the very first evening. Djokovic broke Navone's serve early and moved ahead 3:0, but the Argentine gradually worked his way back into the set, increased the intensity in long rallies and took advantage of his opponent's growing number of errors. According to the US Open report, the first set lasted 73 minutes, during which Djokovic committed 17 unforced errors. After Navone got back on serve, the set went to a tie-break, where the 25-year-old Argentine held onto his mini-break advantage and closed out the set 7:5. There was also an interruption of almost ten minutes during the set because the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium was being closed, but even that pause did not completely change the rhythm of the match.
Djokovic played with more control and patience in the second set. He did not dominate in the way he had so often taken command of big matches in New York throughout his career, but he found an opportunity late in the set, made the only break for 6:5 and then served it out to level the match. The third set was again decided by a late shift. After nearly three hours of play, Djokovic broke Navone's serve for 5:4, raised his energy in front of the New York crowd and then served out the set to take a 2:1 lead. At that moment, it appeared that the experienced Grand Slam champion had found a way through yet another physically demanding match.
The key moment came at the start of the fourth set. Djokovic went ahead by a break and led 2:1, but he was unable to turn that advantage into control of the match. ATP and the US Open state in their reports that his physical condition then became visibly problematic: nausea and vomiting followed him throughout the match, cramps appeared, and later more pronounced back and shoulder problems emerged as well. Navone responded with a run of games, breaking Djokovic twice in his first three service games and taking the fourth set 6:2. Between the fourth and fifth sets, Djokovic requested medical treatment, after which he was no longer able to restore the level of movement and intensity required for another comeback.
In the deciding set, Navone quickly took complete control. Djokovic tried to shorten the points and stay in the rallies, but the physical decline was too severe and the number of errors continued to rise. According to the official US Open report, he finished the match with 70 unforced errors and converted four of 12 break-point opportunities, while Navone converted six of 17 chances to break serve. The Argentine won the fifth set 6:1 and sealed the biggest result of his career so far. In doing so, he ended Djokovic's two-decade run without a first-round defeat at a Grand Slam tournament.
Djokovic: My body starts to fail me
After the match, Djokovic spoke openly about problems that, in his words, are not limited to just one evening in New York. In comments reported by the US Open and ATP, he said that he has been dealing with vomiting and serious physical difficulties throughout much of the season, followed by cramps and pain. He stressed that his back and shoulder made things even more difficult late in the match and that he was unable to close it out despite having a break advantage in the fourth set. Such an explanation places the defeat in the broader context of a season in which he remains capable of playing top-level tennis, but increasingly has to manage physical limitations during long best-of-five-set matches.
A similar problem appeared just two weeks earlier at the Cincinnati Masters. ATP reported at the time that Djokovic lost in the second round to another Argentine, Thiago Agustin Tirante, 2:6, 6:4, 6:4, after visibly running out of energy in hot and humid conditions. Djokovic said after that match that there was a health condition that had been troubling him for a longer period and that it worsened particularly in high temperatures and humidity. That appearance was his only competitive match between Wimbledon and the US Open, meaning he arrived in New York with very little recent match rhythm on hard courts. Before the tournament, the US Open cited precisely that lack of competitive activity as one of the factors creating uncertainty around his form.
Despite the problems, Djokovic particularly highlighted the support of the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium when speaking to the media after the defeat. According to the tournament's official website, he said the spectators' reaction during important moments tried to lift him and that the support after the final point affected him emotionally. The ending carried additional symbolism because the appearance came 21 years after his first US Open participation. Over the course of his career, he has won four titles in New York, in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023, and reached the final six more times. He won his most recent Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, where he claimed his 24th major trophy.
Historically early exit for the record holder with 24 Grand Slam titles
Djokovic's defeat is particularly striking because of the scale of consistency that preceded it. ATP states that before New York, he had lost in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament only twice in his career, both times at the Australian Open, in 2005 and 2006. More than 20 years had passed since Melbourne Park in 2006 without an opening-round defeat at one of the four majors. At the US Open, he had never previously lost his first match, and the tournament's official website also noted that before this defeat he had never exited in New York before the third round. Navone's success is therefore not only a major individual upset but also the end of one of the longest runs of consistency on the biggest stage in men's tennis.
Djokovic arrived in New York as the fourth seed, although he is currently ranked fifth in the ATP rankings. Ahead of the tournament, the possibility of winning a record 25th Grand Slam title was once again one of the central stories of the men's draw, especially after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew because of a right knee injury. Before the tournament began, the official US Open website assessed that this had opened a more favorable path for Djokovic, although he still remained in a section of the draw containing a number of top players. Instead of another deep run, the pursuit of a 25th title ended in the first round.
His 2026 Grand Slam season thus came to an unexpectedly abrupt conclusion. At the Australian Open, he reached the final after coming back against Sinner in the semifinal, but Carlos Alcaraz beat him in the title match. At Roland Garros, he lost in the third round to then-19-year-old Joao Fonseca after almost five hours and after holding a two-set lead. At Wimbledon, he reached the semifinal following a dramatic win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the longest men's singles quarterfinal in the tournament's history, but Sinner then defeated him in straight sets. That run shows how competitive Djokovic has remained at the biggest tournaments even at the age of 39, but also how increasingly significant the physical demands of long Grand Slam matches have become.
Navone produces the biggest comeback of his career
For Mariano Navone, the victory is a moment that significantly changes the profile of his career. The Argentine was ranked 49th in the world at the time of the tournament, and the US Open states that the match against Djokovic was his first at Arthur Ashe Stadium, his first meeting with the 24-time Grand Slam champion and only his third appearance in the main draw of the US Open. It is particularly interesting that Navone spent most of his tennis development on clay courts. In an interview with the tournament's official website, he said that he practically did not play on hard courts until 2021 or 2022, which gives the victory on the largest stadium at the Flushing Meadows complex additional significance.
ATP also recalled Navone's match against Rafael Nadal in Bastad in 2024. The Argentine came close to a major victory on that occasion, but ultimately lost after approximately four hours of battle. In New York, he managed to turn the experience of that kind of match into a result: he did not collapse after losing the second and third sets, nor after Djokovic went a break ahead in the fourth. Instead, he remained physically stable, continued to return a large number of balls and forced his opponent to play an extra shot during a phase of the match in which every long rally was becoming increasingly costly for the 39-year-old favorite.
After the victory, Navone spoke about fulfilling a childhood dream and emphasized how much it meant to him to play against a tennis player he had watched for years on the biggest stages. Still, his success was not merely a consequence of Djokovic's physical decline. The Argentine survived phases in which the four-time US Open champion seized the initiative, maintained his discipline after losing the lead in sets and took his opportunity when the balance of power shifted again. His ability to remain in the match after three or more hours was precisely what proved decisive for his first five-set victory, after he had entered the Djokovic match with an 0-4 record in such contests according to ATP data.
With the victory, Navone advanced to the second round, where the official draw has him facing Matteo Berrettini. The Italian defeated Stan Wawrinka 7:6(4), 7:6(3), 6:0 in the first round, meaning that after an emotionally and physically extremely demanding match, Navone will immediately face another serious test on hard courts. The challenge for the Argentine now is to turn the biggest victory of his career into a deeper tournament run rather than remain merely the author of one of the biggest upsets of this year's US Open.
A defeat that again raises the question of physical sustainability
Djokovic's status in tennis history has not changed because of this defeat: with 24 Grand Slam titles, he remains the record holder in men's singles, with ten Australian Open trophies, three at Roland Garros, seven at Wimbledon and four at the US Open. However, the match against Navone further highlighted a theme that has followed him in recent seasons - how long he can maintain the physical level required for seven best-of-five-set matches. At certain stages, his game still allows him to beat the very best, as shown by his run to the Australian Open final and the Wimbledon semifinal this year. The problem is increasingly recovery and consistency through long matches, especially when health difficulties arise at the same time as heat, humidity and lengthy rallies.
Djokovic himself did not offer a definitive answer after the defeat about how these problems will affect the continuation of his career. Based on his comments, what is clear is only that he is trying to treat and manage the difficulties, but that there is currently no simple solution. It is therefore too early to draw conclusions about the end of his career from a single defeat, particularly for a player who has repeatedly redefined expectations regarding the limits of longevity in professional tennis over two decades. At the same time, the way his match against Navone ended shows that physical sustainability will be just as important as form, the draw or the quality of the opponent in every future attempt to win a 25th Grand Slam title.
For the 2026 US Open, one thing is already certain: one of the most successful players in the tournament's history will not be part of the second half of the first week, while Navone has overnight become one of the leading names in the men's draw. The result 7:6(5), 5:7, 4:6, 6:2, 6:1 will be recorded as Djokovic's first defeat in the opening round at Flushing Meadows and his earliest Grand Slam exit in more than two decades. For the Argentine, the same evening marked his first triumph over Djokovic, his first victory in a five-set match and a result that will define a new phase of his career.
Sources:
- US Open - official report on Mariano Navone's victory over Novak Djokovic, the course of the match, statistics and physical problems (link)
- US Open - Djokovic's comments after the defeat and description of the health problems during the match (link)
- ATP Tour - reactions after the match and data on Djokovic's physical condition, his lead in the fourth set and Navone's success (link)
- ATP Tour - Navone's comments after the victory and the context of his earlier match with Rafael Nadal in Bastad (link)
- US Open - profile of Mariano Navone, his ATP ranking, hard-court experience and the historical context of the victory (link)
- ATP Tour - report on Djokovic's health problems and defeat to Thiago Agustin Tirante in Cincinnati (link)
- US Open - overview of Djokovic's 2026 Grand Slam season and the context of the pursuit of a 25th title (link)
- US Open - results from the second day of the tournament and confirmation of Matteo Berrettini's victory over Stan Wawrinka (link)