Novak Djokovic was in tears after his first-round loss at the US Open against Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
Djokovic, who won a total of 24 Grand Slam tournaments in his career, was left emotional in the decisive set of the match where he looked unwell during the entire game, vomiting in the towel bin several times.
Mariano Navone Stuns Novak Djokovic
Mariano’s moment 👇 pic.twitter.com/1EIuZ9v8u0
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2026
Djokovic, fourth seed in this year’s US Open, showed the fighting spirit that characterized him throughout the game but eventually ended up losing 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 4-6 6-2 6-1 to Navone in a humid New York, per BBC Sport.
A well-deserved ovation 👏
See you again soon, @DjokerNole. pic.twitter.com/1jRBbC77Ee
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2026
This was the first time that the Serbian lost in the opening round at the US Open and in the opening round of a Grand Slam tournament since 2006.
Novak Djokovic Reaction
“I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me,” Djokovic said.
“I don’t want to take too much out of Mariano’s win. Congrats to him, he’s a nice guy and a fighter – but I didn’t enjoy myself.”
Djokovic could not help but crack a smile while congratulating the 25-year-old Navone on what will undoubtedly be counted among his greatest wins in his career as world number 49.
However, while Djokovic exhibited all sorts of grace and poise while congratulating his opponent, the distraught tennis star could no longer keep a straight face when walking back to the locker room, almost at the brink of crying again.
This defeat put an end to Djokovic’s attempt at a new record of winning 25 singles titles in Grand Slam tournaments alone, taking him past Australia’s Margaret Court.
There seems to be a limited chance for Djokovic now since many people saw that as another good chance for him especially with world number one Jannik Sinner sitting out due to injuries and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz returning from a wrist injury.
This exit may be a signal that age is catching up on the 39-year-old great.
