NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic arrived at the 2026 US Open chasing history. Less than five hours after stepping onto Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was leaving the tournament in one of the most shocking opening-round defeats of his career.
Argentina’s Mariano Navone stunned the 39-year-old Serbian 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday night, ending Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 25th major title before it had barely begun. The four-hour, 36-minute contest became Djokovic’s earliest US Open exit and his first opening-round defeat at any Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open.
But the scoreline tells only part of what unfolded in New York.
Djokovic was visibly struggling physically for much of the match, vomiting during the contest and later dealing with cramps as well as back and shoulder problems. By the fifth set, the sight of one of tennis’s most relentless competitors fighting simply to remain in the match had transformed what looked like a routine first-round assignment into a dramatic test of endurance.
Djokovic appeared to regain control — before everything changed
The night initially seemed capable of following a familiar Djokovic script.
Despite looking uncomfortable in the humid conditions, the fourth seed battled through a difficult opening set and, after losing the tiebreak, found a way back into the match. He took the second set 7-5 and then won the third 6-4, giving himself a two-sets-to-one advantage.
Even more remarkably, Djokovic had already vomited during the third set before finding enough energy to break Navone at 5-4 and move ahead in the match.
At that stage, history overwhelmingly favoured the Serbian.
Djokovic entered the match with a 42-12 career record in five-set contests. Navone had never won one, carrying an 0-4 record in five-set matches into Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Argentine also entered the US Open with a modest 12-29 tour-level record on hard courts.
None of it mattered.
Djokovic surrendered a break advantage early in the fourth set, and his physical condition deteriorated as the match moved deeper into the night. Navone surged through the fourth set 6-2 before dominating the deciding set 6-1.
Seventy errors helped turn the match
The numbers reveal just how dramatically Djokovic’s level dropped.
CBS Sports reported that he finished with 70 unforced errors, including 29 across the final two sets. Navone won more than 63 per cent of the points played during those last two sets as Djokovic’s resistance faded.
ATP statistics showed another important difference: Navone created 17 break-point opportunities and converted six of them while committing only 34 unforced errors himself.
For Navone, ranked world No. 49 entering the match, it was comfortably the biggest victory of his career.
The 25-year-old Argentine had grown up admiring Djokovic and called beating him over five sets a dream come true. The victory was also Navone’s first five-set win and his first meeting with the Serbian superstar.
A 20-year Grand Slam streak disappears
The upset becomes even more extraordinary when placed against Djokovic’s history.
Before Sunday, he had not lost a first-round match at a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open. ATP records show the only other opening-round major defeat of his career came at the 2005 Australian Open.
CBS Sports reported that Djokovic entered this US Open having won 78 consecutive Grand Slam first-round matches, the longest such streak in the Open era. He had also never previously lost in the opening round during 19 US Open main-draw appearances.
Sky Sports described Sunday’s four-hour, 36-minute battle as the longest first-round Grand Slam match of Djokovic’s career.
That is what makes Navone’s victory more than simply another upset.
One of the most dependable records in modern tennis disappeared in a single night.
Djokovic says the physical problem has followed him throughout 2026
Perhaps the most significant development came after the match.
Djokovic said his physical difficulties were not limited to Sunday night. He explained that vomiting and related physical problems had affected him repeatedly during the season, eventually triggering cramping, pain and problems with his back and shoulder.
He had also struggled physically during his Cincinnati Open defeat to Thiago Agustin Tirante two weeks earlier, adding another layer of concern about his ability to withstand the demands of long matches.
Yet Djokovic made clear that he did not want to retire from Sunday’s match.
Asked whether he had considered stopping during the fourth or fifth set, he said he wanted to finish.
That decision produced one of the most emotional scenes of the opening night. ATP reported that Djokovic appeared tearful during the fifth set while the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd tried to lift him, before he ultimately congratulated Navone at the net.
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