Novak Djokovic left Arthur Ashe Stadium on the first night of the tournament, toppled by Mariano Navone in a five-set match that exposed persistent physical problems. The 39-year-old, a 24-time major champion, fell 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 after four hours and 36 minutes, marking his earliest exit at a major since the 2006 Australian Open. It was Djokovic’s 84th grand slam appearance and only the third time he has been eliminated in the first round of a major.
The match became a medical saga. Djokovic vomited repeatedly, battled severe cramping and repeatedly sought cooling measures between points. Rain forced officials to close the roof at 4-3 in the opening set, but the change did not relieve his distress. He received medication from the on-court doctor, wrapped himself in ice cloths and at times visibly struggled to maintain balance and focus as the evening progressed.
Navone, 25, converted Djokovic’s declining mobility into extended rallies, sustaining depth from both wings and punishing each opening. He moved ahead two sets to one before Djokovic mounted a brief response, but the Serb’s serve and movement deteriorated in the fourth set and Navone closed out the match emphatically. For Navone the victory is the biggest of his career, and it followed a personal build-up that included social media posts from his youth showing admiration for Djokovic and his parents changing travel plans to attend after the draw paired them.
Djokovic addressed his condition after the loss. “I think it was obvious that an awful feeling on the court for me,” he said. “It is something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year. You know, vomiting, throwing up, serious issue there, and then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain, and the back just gave up in the end, and shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out, break up in the fourth, but just struggled all the way since the fourth game of the match. And again, don’t want to take too much out of his win. Congrats to him; he’s a nice guy, fighter, but you know, I didn’t enjoy myself.”
The scene echoed a similar physical collapse in Cincinnati a few weeks earlier, where Thiago Agustín Tirante beat Djokovic in three sets under humid conditions. That sequence underlines concerns this is part of a recurring health issue, especially in heat and humidity. Djokovic left the court in tears and retreated to the locker room. The tournament continues without one of its most dominant figures, and Djokovic’s immediate competition schedule and recovery plan will determine whether this episode proves a temporary setback or a turning point.
