Navone Defeats Djokovic in US Open Shock
Novak Djokovic has rewritten plenty of tennis history. On Sunday night in New York, the record book turned on him.
For the first time, the 39-year-old crashed out of the US Open in the opening round, beaten in five draining sets by Mariano Navone, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, in a match that stretched beyond four and a half hours and ended just before midnight.
The scoreline tells you it was long. It doesn’t quite capture how brutal it became.
A Champion Unravels
Djokovic led by two sets to one and, for a while, the script felt familiar: an early scare, a tightening of screws, and a slow suffocation of an underdog on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Then his body started to revolt.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion vomited on court at least once. He grimaced as cramps seized his left foot. Between the fourth and fifth sets, he needed a medical timeout for his lower back. The veteran who has made a career of outlasting opponents found himself fighting his own frame.
“I didn’t enjoy myself,” Djokovic admitted afterward. “I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me.
“It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year: vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there. Then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain. Yeah, the back just gave up in the end and shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out.”
The echoes of his early exit in Cincinnati earlier this month were impossible to ignore. Once again, the mind remained willing, the game still sharp in flashes, but the physical base that underpinned his dominance faltered under sustained pressure.
Navone Holds His Nerve
Navone didn’t just wait for Djokovic to fall apart. He dragged him into long exchanges, refused to flinch when the match tightened, and kept asking questions.
He edged a tense first-set tiebreak, absorbed Djokovic’s response as the Serb clawed back to take the second and third sets, and then surged as the match tilted into a test of endurance. The fourth set swung decisively his way, 6-2, as Djokovic’s movement dulled and his serve lost bite. By the decider, the momentum had fully turned. Navone sprinted through it 6-1, closing out the biggest win of his career as Djokovic labored between points.
This wasn’t just a surprise. It was a seismic shock: Djokovic’s earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2006 Australian Open, when he fell to Paul Goldstein, long before his era of domination began.
The Chase for 25 Stalls
Djokovic arrived in New York still chasing a landmark 25th major title, his last Slam triumph coming here in 2023. The ambition hasn’t changed. The reality around it has.
At 39, with a season already littered with physical issues and recurring vomiting episodes he openly described as “a serious issue,” every major now carries a layer of uncertainty. Can he string together seven best-of-five matches over two weeks? Can his body keep pace with his competitive fury?
Those questions will only grow louder after this night.
Navone leaves with the win of a lifetime and a place in the second round. Djokovic leaves with more medical concerns and a Slam season that ends far earlier than anyone expected.
The chase for No. 25 goes on, but the path to it suddenly looks steeper than ever.
