Novak Djokovic arrived at the 2026 US Open sounding confident, brushing aside his early exit in Cincinnati as a minor blip. But that defeat proved far more telling than the Serbian great realized. On opening night at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic's tournament — and his pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title — ended in tears, as Argentina's Mariano Navone outlasted him in a grueling five-set battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Djokovic Leaves the US Open in Tears After a Five-Set Nightmare on Ashe
The night quickly became a physical and emotional battle for Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam champion looked increasingly uncomfortable as humid New York conditions took their toll, and he was even forced to vomit into a towel bin during the match. By the deciding set, the frustration and exhaustion were written all over him. When Djokovic won the fourth game, the crowd rose to its feet — but instead of celebrating, he was in tears.
In an even more poignant moment, Djokovic's wife Jelena appeared to leave the player's box while two of his children, Tara and Stefan, watched on with visibly forlorn expressions. Jelena returned to the stands just as Djokovic slipped to a 6-1 loss in the fifth set, ending his hopes of winning a 25th Major before the tournament had even truly begun.
After the match, Djokovic acknowledged how difficult the night had been while still giving Navone full credit for the victory. "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 eventually managed a smile as he congratulated the 25-year-old, who had just secured one of the biggest wins of his career. But once the handshake was over, the weight of the defeat appeared to catch up with the Serbian again, and he looked visibly distraught as he made his way toward the locker room.
From a 3-0 Lead to a 6-1 Fifth Set: How the Upset Unfolded
A first-round fixture against Navone looked like a routine assignment on paper, but the Argentine proved that assumption wrong. Djokovic started strongly, racing to a 3-0 lead, only for Navone to fight back and force a tiebreak in the opening set. The 25-year-old kept his composure under pressure and won it 7-5 in the tiebreak to claim the set after 73 minutes.
A long, grueling rally appeared to trigger Djokovic's physical struggles. His serve and groundstrokes began to lose their usual pace, and after the ninth game he called for the doctor and asked for medication to ease his discomfort. Djokovic still found a way to win the second set 7-5 and the third 6-4, at one point closing out a 25-plus shot barrage of baseline strokes with a signature backhand winner.
But by the end of the third set, the match had stretched well over three hours. Djokovic was visibly hunching over after every point, and Navone — a clay-court specialist bringing his relentless baseline game to the hard courts — kept forcing the Serbian to move from side to side. Djokovic earned a break for a 2-1 lead in the fourth set, but his body gave way; Navone reeled off four consecutive games to take the set 6-2, then ran away with the fifth 6-1.
Vomiting, Cramps and a Body That "Gives Up": Djokovic's Recurring Health Battle
What made the defeat so alarming was how familiar the physical breakdown looked. Djokovic vomited on court during the third set, was spotted using an inhaler and taking tablets in the fourth, and called for a physio to rub down his lower back during a medical timeout in the fifth. Speaking to reporters afterward, he revealed that a recurring health condition had once again surfaced in New York's punishing conditions.
"It's something that I have been carrying pretty much every match this year — vomiting, throwing up," the 39-year-old said. "And then my whole body starts to collapse basically, cramping and pain. The back just gave up in the end, and my shoulder, and I couldn't close it out."
The result marked Djokovic's first first-round exit at a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open, snapping two decades of remarkable consistency, and it was also the longest first-round match of his career at a major.
Cincinnati Was the Warning Sign Nobody Could Ignore
The US Open collapse did not come out of nowhere. Just two weeks earlier at the Cincinnati Open, Djokovic was dumped out 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Argentina's Thiago Agustin Tirante, vomiting during a changeover and pressing an ice pack to his head as the Ohio heat wore him down. After that defeat, Djokovic was candid about the problem that has followed him for years.
"It's just a condition that I have, health-wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years. A lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot," he said, adding that nerves likely made it worse.
What the Loss Means for Djokovic's Chase of a 25th Major
Djokovic's 2026 season has been defined by the same troubling pattern: flashes of brilliance interrupted by a body that can no longer be trusted in hot, humid conditions. Earlier this year at Indian Wells, he collapsed physically against Jack Draper after winning a brutal 26-shot rally, later admitting the effort had drained him. A Wimbledon semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner preceded the Cincinnati and US Open setbacks.
The immediate question is whether the 24-time Grand Slam champion can — or wants to — keep chasing the 25th Major that has now eluded him across multiple seasons. He has given no public indication of retirement, but at 39, with a recurring health issue surfacing match after match, every early exit intensifies the conversation about how much longer he can keep going.
For Navone, the victory is a career-defining moment — a statement win over one of the greatest players in tennis history on one of the sport's biggest stages.
The Bottom Line: Key Takeaways From Djokovic's US Open Exit
- Djokovic lost to Mariano Navone in five sets in the US Open first round — 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
- It was his first first-round Grand Slam exit since the 2006 Australian Open.
- He vomited on court, used an inhaler and medication, and took a medical timeout.
- Djokovic was visibly emotional — in tears on court and close to tears afterward.
- The defeat ends his bid for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, for now.
- A recurring health condition in humid, hot conditions has now cost him in Cincinnati and New York.
