Novak Djokovic has played 20 years of Grand Slam tennis without ever losing an opening round at the US Open. That ended Sunday night on Arthur Ashe Stadium, in a match where he vomited on court, cramped through his legs and feet, and still dragged a stranger ranked outside the top 40 into a fifth set before it fell apart.
Mariano Navone Beat Him in Five
The final score was 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 for Mariano Navone, the 25 year old Argentine who came in unseeded and, by most bookmakers, priced as a heavy longshot. It took 4 hours and 36 minutes. Navone lost the second and third sets and then won the last two by a combined 12 games to 3, which tells you exactly what happened to the man across the net. He is not a household name in the United States. He is now the answer to a trivia question that will outlive both of their careers. Navone had never been past the second round of a major before this week, and he won his first ATP singles title earlier this season. He held serve nine straight times across the last two sets while the greatest returner in the history of the sport stood flat footed behind the baseline.
The First Time in Two Decades
Djokovic had never lost a first round match at Flushing Meadows. He had not lost an opening round at any major since the 2006 Australian Open, back when he was 18 and nobody had started counting his records yet. Twenty years of first rounds, and the streak ended on a Sunday night in front of a stadium that had come to watch him chase history rather than exit it. He has won this tournament four times. The building was full of people who bought tickets on the assumption that a first round Djokovic match was a formality with a good seat attached to it.
He Was Sick on Court
This was not a quiet fade. Djokovic vomited during the match, took medical treatment between sets for his lower back, and cramped badly in his legs and feet as the fourth and fifth sets went on. He said afterward that the sickness has followed him all season, describing vomiting as something that has happened in pretty much every match this year. That is not a bad night. That is a pattern he has been carrying since January, and it explains a season that has looked strange from the outside. He has kept winning early rounds on skill and then falling apart physically once matches pass the three hour mark, which at a Grand Slam is most of the ones that matter.
Seventy Unforced Errors
The number that explains the scoreline is 70 unforced errors. Djokovic has built an entire career on being the last man making mistakes, on turning long rallies into other people’s failures. Sunday inverted that completely. Once the cramping set in he could not extend points, and once he could not extend points the errors piled up faster than Navone had to earn anything. The fifth set went 6-1 in what felt like a formality. He was still chasing balls he had no chance of reaching, and the body simply would not produce the shots his brain was calling for.
What He Said Afterward
His summary was blunt. He said he did not enjoy himself and that it was obvious it had been an awful feeling on the court for him. He did not blame the draw, the schedule or the surface. He talked about the illness and about how his body has been behaving all year, and he did it in a way that left the room quieter than a straight sets loss ever would have. He was gracious about Navone, which he usually is, and he did not spend a second on excuses about the heat or the night session scheduling.
The 25th Major Keeps Moving Away
Djokovic is 39 and still one Grand Slam short of 25. He has now gone 12 consecutive majors without adding to the total. Every one of those tournaments produced a version of the same story, which is that he can still beat almost anybody for two sets and increasingly cannot beat the good ones for five. This is the first time the story ended before the tournament really started.
The Rest of Opening Day
The upset overshadowed a first day that was already messy. Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic both withdrew injured before play. Daniil Medvedev came through Hugo Gaston in straight sets. Luca Van Assche knocked out 29th seed Cameron Norrie in four. The draw around Djokovic’s section just got a great deal easier for everybody left in it. Two seeds gone before a ball was struck and the fourth seed gone in the opening round is an unusual amount of chaos for one day, and it opens a path for somebody who was not expecting one.
Nobody Is Saying Retirement
Reporters raised it. Djokovic did not. He talked about pain and about a body that keeps failing him in the same way, and he stopped short of anything that sounded like a decision. He has said before that he wants to play the Los Angeles Olympics. Whether a season of vomiting through matches survives that ambition is the question the next few months answer, and it is not one he was going to settle in a press room at midnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who beat Novak Djokovic at the 2026 US Open?
Mariano Navone, a 25 year old unseeded Argentine, won 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the first round on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Has Djokovic ever lost in the US Open first round before?
No. This was his first opening round loss at the US Open, and his first at any Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open.
How long did the match last?
Four hours and 36 minutes, played in the Sunday night session on August 30.
Was Djokovic injured or ill?
He vomited on court, cramped in his legs and feet, and received medical treatment for his lower back between sets. He said the vomiting has recurred in nearly every match this season.
How many Grand Slam titles does Djokovic have?
Twenty four. He has now gone 12 straight majors without winning a 25th.
Is Novak Djokovic retiring?
He has not said so. He spoke about his physical condition after the loss but made no announcement about his future.
