Seven months ago, Novak Djokovic outlasted Jannik Sinner in a five-set classic that made him the oldest man to reach an Australian Open final in the sport’s modern era.
But on Sunday night in New York, he was knocked out of the US Open on Arthur Ashe Stadium, vomiting between points, tears streaming down his face, unable to finish off a player ranked outside the top 40.
The gap between those two nights says everything about the year Djokovic has just endured.
Novak Djokovic in tears as the realization dawns upon him that Father Time has finally caught up pic.twitter.com/5uOfg2Em30
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) August 31, 2026
A Miracle in Melbourne
January felt like a rebirth. Djokovic had lost five straight matches to Sinner, and the Italian was aiming for a three-peat at the Happy Slam, The Australian Open
Instead, Djokovic clawed back from two sets to one down, saved 16 of 18 break points, and won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a match that lasted more than four hours.
It was the kind of performance that silenced, at least briefly, all the retirement conversations around him since his last major title in 2023.
He couldn’t finish the job though as Carlos Alcaraz beat him in the final to complete his career Grand Slam, handing Djokovic his first-ever defeat in eleven Australian Open finals.
Then the Wheels Came Off
What followed was a string of inconsistent performances. He lost early at Indian Wells to Jack Draper, then withdrew from Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid
At the Italian Open, he was beaten in the second round by a qualifier ranked 79th in the world.
At the French Open, he blew a two-set lead against teenager Joao Fonseca and crashed out in the third round, missing the quarterfinals in Paris for the first time since 2009.
Wimbledon offered one last flash of the old Novak Djokovic magic with a five-hour, fifteen-minute epic win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals, before losing to Sinner in straight sets in the semis.
Then at the Cincinnati Open, he lost in the round-of-64 to a Thiago Agustin Tirante and fans openly called for him to retire.
A Brutal Night in New York
Djokovic arrived at the US Open with the draw looking like it will favour him. Sinner was out with a knee injury, Alcaraz was just coming back from a wrist injury.
Many fans felt this could be the perfect time to win his 25th Grand Slam title.
Instead, Argentina’s Mariano Navone, ranked 49th and playing in just his third US Open, beat him in five sets, 7-6, 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, over four hours and thirty-six minutes.
It was the longest opening-round match of Djokovic’s career, and his earliest exit from a major in two decades. He had never lost in the first round at Flushing Meadows before.
Djokovic threw up on court, needed a medical timeout for his back, and broke down as Navone closed it out.
So, Is This the End?
The result drops him to his lowest ranking in eight years. At 39, with the physical toll now visible in real time on a Grand Slam stage, the question in the headline is looking like a valid one
