NEW YORK — The script was supposed to be familiar. Night session on Arthur Ashe, Novak Djokovic back on the court where he has lifted the trophy four times, hunting that record-shattering 25th Grand Slam title. A tricky opponent, sure, but nothing the greatest major winner in men’s history hadn’t solved a hundred times before.
Instead, Ashe watched a sporting shock unfold in slow, painful motion.
Djokovic, 39 years old and seeded No. 4, crashed out of the US Open in the first round on Monday night, beaten by Argentina’s Mariano Navone 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in four hours and 36 minutes. A man who built his legend on iron resolve and five-set mastery looked drained, ill and, at times, almost detached as a 78-match winning streak in Grand Slam first rounds disappeared under the lights.
It is his first opening-round defeat at a major since the 2006 Australian Open. His first loss in the first two rounds of the US Open after 37 straight wins. The numbers alone tell you how big this is.
The pictures told you even more.
From early on, Djokovic’s body betrayed him. He trudged between points, slumped in his chair, took pills, vomited during the third set and moved with the labored gait of a man trying to coax one last effort out of a frame that would not cooperate. At times he stared blankly across the net, as if willing his opponent to blink first.
Navone never did.
“It was very tough for me because you are playing with the ‘GOAT’ on this court,” Navone said on court afterwards, still trying to process what he’d done. “For sure it’s the best thing I’ve had on court. This is an amazing court and the biggest stage. It’s amazing, the way we play. I mean, five sets. … I’m very happy. I don’t know. What can I say?"
For half an hour, it looked like routine Djokovic business. He tore into the match, racing to a 3-0 lead, then 4-1, dictating with depth and precision, pinning the world No. 49 behind the baseline. The crowd settled in for what felt like a familiar New York night: Djokovic in control, the underdog hanging on.
Then the errors started.
The forehand misfires, the loose backhands, the short balls that begged to be punished. Navone broke twice to drag himself back to 4-4, punctuating his surge with a thudding ace to level the set. The Argentine, one of 11 men from his country in the main draw, began to swing freely, stretching rallies, testing Djokovic’s legs and lungs.
The tiebreak turned into a scrap. Djokovic, usually ruthless in those moments, faltered. A routine return found the net and the set was gone, the stadium murmuring as the favorite walked slowly back to his chair, shoulders heavy.
Djokovic steadied in the second. Neither player gave up a break through 10 tense games, but the Serb finally punched through, reeling off eight straight points to grab the set and a foothold in the match. When he edged a tight third set, breaking late and whipping up the Ashe crowd with a roar and a raised fist, the story seemed to be turning back toward the familiar: the champion surviving, the outsider fading.
Navone refused to follow the script.
He kept dragging Djokovic into long, lung-busting exchanges, rallies of 20 shots and more that sapped whatever energy the 24-time major winner had left. Djokovic sprayed 70 unforced errors over the night, an astonishing number for a player built on control. Navone had 17 break-point chances but converted only six; even so, each one landed like a body blow.
The fourth set swung on one of them. Navone broke and surged ahead as Djokovic’s movement deteriorated and the pain became obvious. The Serb, who had vomited during a second-round loss to Thiago Agustin Tirante in Cincinnati earlier this month, again looked physically stricken.
“I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me. It's something that I've been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year,” Djokovic said. “You know, vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there. Then my whole body, you know, starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain. Yeah, the back just gave up in the end and shoulder, and I couldn't close it out, you know?
"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. But, you know, I didn't enjoy myself."
That break in the fourth, which had given Djokovic a brief lead, felt like the last flicker of resistance. From there, his body shut down. Navone ran away with the set 6-2, then dominated the decider 6-1 as Djokovic’s returns lost their bite and his serve offered little protection.
The end came quietly. A weak Djokovic return floated short, Navone pounced, and the final ball flew past the stranded champion. No drama. Just a stunned hush, then a roar for the Argentine who had just authored the upset of the tournament.
For Navone, it is another milestone in a breakout season. In 2024, he became the first man in the Open Era to be seeded in his Grand Slam main-draw debut at Roland Garros. Now he owns a five-set victory over Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the kind of win that can reshape a career. His reward is a second-round meeting on Sept. 2 against the winner of Matteo Berrettini vs. Stan Wawrinka.
For Djokovic, the questions cut deeper. The health issues that dogged him in Cincinnati have followed him to New York. He spoke of vomiting, cramping, pain in his back and shoulder, of a body that “gave up in the end.” For a player who has built his legend on physical supremacy and unbreakable resilience, the sight of him fading so dramatically on a court he has ruled for so long felt jarring.
One night in New York does not erase a career. It does, however, change the conversation. The chase for 25 will have to wait. The more urgent issue is whether Djokovic can solve the problems inside his own body before time, and a new generation, close the door for good.
