Tennis great Djokovic exits US Open in first round amid tears and pain
Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam ends in a five-set defeat to unseeded Argentinian player Mariano Navone. Novak Djokovic, grinding through physical and internal ailments, made one mistake after another and could not find what it took to beat a feisty, younger opponent who was not intimidated under the lights against tennis’s most decorated player.
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Key Facts
- Fact 1: Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam ends in a five-set defeat to unseeded Argentinian player Mariano Navone.
- Fact 2: The 39-year-old is out of the US Open after a first-round defeat to Mariano Navone on Sunday night, losing 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a five-set marathon that lasted four hours and 36 minutes.
- Fact 3: ‘Not a goodbye’: Tearful Federer inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame US Open 2026: All to know about the schedule, top seeds and favourites Serena Williams, Carlos Alcaraz fall in US Open mixed doubles quarterfinal Ex-Wimbledon champion Vondrousova appeals to CAS over four-year doping ban It was the longest opening match of a Grand Slam in Djokovic’s career in what was his earliest exit in two decades, dating to the 2006 Australian Open.
- Fact 4: “I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me.” The record holder with 24 major titles threw up at least once and later appeared to be cramping when he grabbed at his left foot.
Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam ends in a five-set defeat to unseeded Argentinian player Mariano Navone. Novak Djokovic, grinding through physical and internal ailments, made one mistake after another and could not find what it took to beat a feisty, younger opponent who was not intimidated under the lights against tennis’s most decorated player.
The 39-year-old is out of the US Open after a first-round defeat to Mariano Navone on Sunday night, losing 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a five-set marathon that lasted four hours and 36 minutes. ‘Not a goodbye’: Tearful Federer inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame US Open 2026: All to know about the schedule, top seeds and favourites Serena Williams, Carlos Alcaraz fall in US Open mixed doubles quarterfinal Ex-Wimbledon champion Vondrousova appeals to CAS over four-year doping ban It was the longest opening match of a Grand Slam in Djokovic’s career in what was his earliest exit in two decades, dating to the 2006 Australian Open. He had never lost in the first round at the US Open.
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