Djokovic Suffers First US Open First-Round Exit in Five-Set Loss to Navone

Novak Djokovic has been beaten in the first round of the US Open by Mariano Navone, losing 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a match lasting more than four and a half hours on Sunday night.

It was the first time Djokovic has lost an opening match at Flushing Meadows, where he had previously won all 19 first-round matches he had played.

A Physical Collapse

Djokovic, 39, struggled physically throughout. He was sick courtside on several occasions, took a medical timeout for a back problem before the fifth set, and appeared to be cramping late on when he grabbed at his left foot. He was unable to serve at anything close to full pace in the closing stages.

Having taken a two-sets-to-one lead, he faded badly. Navone won 11 of the final 12 games, breaking six times in total and closing out a match that finished shortly before midnight local time. Djokovic finished with 70 unforced errors.

Speaking after the match, Djokovic said he had not enjoyed the experience and that the physical problems were something he had been carrying for much of the year.

What the Result Ends

The defeat brings to an end a run of 78 consecutive wins in the opening round of major tournaments, the longest such streak by any man in the Open era. His previous first-round loss at a Grand Slam came at the 2006 Australian Open against Paul Goldstein.

It was also the longest opening-round match of Djokovic's Grand Slam career and the third-longest match he has played at the US Open, behind the 2012 final against Andy Murray and a 2007 second-round match against Radek Stepanek.

The result will push Djokovic out of the ATP top 10 for the first time since July 2018.

It also marks a broader shift. This is the first major since the 2003 French Open in which none of Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal will feature in the second round.

Navone's Breakthrough

Navone, a 25-year-old Argentine ranked 49th in the world, had never won a five-set match before Sunday, having lost all four of his previous attempts. He had also never progressed beyond the third round at a Grand Slam.

He matched Djokovic physically in the early stages and defended stubbornly, saving eight of the 12 break points he faced. When Djokovic briefly threatened a recovery in the final set, closing to 3-1, Navone broke again and served out the match.

It was his second career win over a top-10 opponent, following a victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime in Rome earlier this year. Navone, who grew up watching Djokovic, described the win as the best moment he has had on a tennis court.

A Difficult Stretch

The loss extends a poor run for Djokovic, who also went out in the second round at Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago. That was his first match since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Sinner, the world number one, is absent from this year's US Open after withdrawing on 21 August with a knee injury. Djokovic remains one major title short of a record 25th.