Novak Djokovic’s US Open 2026 campaign ended abruptly as he suffered a surprising first-round defeat to Argentina’s Mariano Navone. The match, held at Arthur Ashe Stadium, saw Djokovic lose 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, marking a significant upset for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Djokovic revealed that he faced physical challenges during the match, stating, “my body started to collapse”. This loss also breaks his impressive streak of advancing past the opening round of a major tournament, a record that dated back to the 2006 Australian Open, according to the ATP website.
Djokovic, who had won the third set and was leading in the fourth before Navone turned the match around, said he tried his best to stay in the contest. “I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me. The Tennis legend explained that he struggled with vomiting, cramps and pain during the contest, which affected his movement and ability to close out the match. “I was a break up in the fourth, but just struggled all the way since the fourth game of the match. Again, I don’t want to take too much out of his win. Congrats to him. He’s a nice guy, a fighter. “They were super nice. So grateful to experience this. When it comes to [the] match itself and overall feeling of how I felt with body and while playing, it was really not enjoyable.
Speaking after the match, the Serbian great said he had been dealing with similar issues throughout the season and found it difficult to perform at his best level. It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year,” Djokovic said, as quoted by ATP Website. But I didn’t enjoy myself,” Djokovic said. I pretty much despised every moment that I spent on the court for that,” Djokovic said.
