Argentine Mariano Navone’s 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory ended Djokovic’s latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title. It also ended his run of 78 Grand Slam first-round victories, a streak stretching all the way back to Djokovic’s 2006 loss to Paul Goldstein at the 2006 Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit in 20 years on Monday and said he doesn’t know the solution to the physical problems he’s battled in “pretty much every match” this year. Djokovic vomited on court and struggled with late-match cramps and back pain — an “awful feeling” that he’s becoming used to.
“It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year. Vomiting, throwing up … Then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain. “I don’t know how I can solve it. At the moment, I don’t want to go into too much detail. “It was a tough match, a battle. Playing against Novak the first time in the biggest stage we have in the world of tennis right now ..
But Navone won the next five games, raising his arms in celebration after fighting off two break points for a 5-2 lead and breaking Djokovic again to force the fifth set. Like, until 20 years he never lose in the first round, so I mean, it’s crazy.”
Djokovic said he’s not equipped right now to go deep in tournaments — and he’s not sure what the fix is Although he reached the final of the Australian Open this year and the semi-finals at Wimbledon. I’m just trying to understand what’s going on and how much longer I can keep going like this,” he said. “It’s unbelievable,” an ecstatic Navone said after triumphing in his first meeting with his longtime idol after four hours and 36 minutes.
