Novak Djokovic suffers stunning US Open first-round loss to Mariano Navone

Novak Djokovic’s chase for a record 25th Grand Slam hit a wall before it ever gained speed. The fourth seed was stunned in the first round of the US Open on Sunday night, falling to unseeded Argentine Mariano Navone 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a five-set marathon that finished close to midnight at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The loss ended an extraordinary run of dominance. Djokovic had won 78 straight first-round matches at the majors, and his exit marked his first opening-round defeat at a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open.

For 30 minutes, the result looked routine. Djokovic sprinted to a 4-1 lead in the opening set and appeared ready to make quick work of the world No. 49. Then everything unraveled. A flood of unforced errors let Navone break back twice and force a tiebreak, which the Argentine claimed to grab a stunning one-set lead.

The bigger story became Djokovic’s body. The 39-year-old looked lethargic and drained from the start, moving gingerly between points, taking tablets, using an inhaler, and vomiting on court more than once. He later acknowledged he has been managing a health issue for years.

Djokovic being Djokovic, he still fought. He reeled off eight straight points to steal the second set 7-5, then edged the third 6-4 to lead two sets to one. For a moment, survival looked possible. Navone had other ideas. The 25-year-old refused to unravel, winning five games in a row in the fourth set after trailing 1-2, then racing to a 3-0 lead in the decider before closing it out 6-1.

It was Navone’s first career win over Djokovic and the first five-set victory of his life. Ranked 49th in the world with one ATP title to his name, Navone had never reached beyond the third round of a major. Speaking to James Blake on court, the Argentine called the moment a “dream come true.”

For Djokovic, a four-time US Open champion whose last major title came here in 2023, the questions grow louder. The wait for number 25 goes on, and the body that carried him to greatness is testing him more with every passing month.

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