Novak Djokovic has lost in the first round of the US Open for the first time in his career, beaten by Argentina’s Mariano Navone in a five-set match that finished shortly before midnight in New York on Sunday (The Associated Press).
The scoreline
Navone won 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in four hours and 36 minutes — the same scoreline and duration carried by The Associated Press, AFP and BBC Sport. AP called it the longest opening match of any Grand Slam in Djokovic’s career.
Djokovic, 39 and the fourth seed, led 3-0 and 4-1 in the opening set before losing it in a tiebreak. He took the next two sets, then won only three games after that. He made 70 unforced errors.
Navone is 25 and ranked 48th in the world, according to AFP. He won his first ATP singles title earlier this year; this was his first five-set win.
What Djokovic said
“I didn’t enjoy myself,” he told reporters. “I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me.”
He vomited on court, cramped, and took pills from a doctor. A medical timeout between the fourth and fifth sets was used to massage his lower back.
“It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year: vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there,” he said. “Then my whole body 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.” That is his account of the match.
What Navone said
“It was very tough for me because you are playing with the ‘GOAT’ on this court,” Navone said. “It’s a dream come true, I mean seriously, 100 percent.”
The record
AFP reported the defeat ended a run of 78 consecutive Grand Slam first-round wins, stretching back to a 2006 Australian Open loss to Paul Goldstein — Djokovic’s earliest exit at a major in 20 years.
It came 21 years to the day after his US Open debut, and follows a first-round loss in Cincinnati this month. Asked about his future, Djokovic said only that he was “trying to address really what’s going on and how far I can go this way.” He did not say he was retiring.
