Former world No.1 Novak Djokovic’s US Open has ended with this earliest Grand Slam exit in two decades as he fell to Mariano Navone 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday.
The defeat scuppered the Serbian tennis legend’s latest bid for a 25th Grand Slam title, and ended a streak of 78 Grand Slam first-round victories, which began at the 2006 French Open.
Considering the obvious discomfort the 39-year-old Djokovic began feeling early in the match, it was truly impressive that he managed to take Navone, 25, the distance.
After battling through more than four and a half hours in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Djokovic gracefully congratulated his opponent.
“I don’t want to take too much out of his win. Congrats to him. He’s a nice guy, a fighter,” Djokovic said of the 25-year-old Argentine, currently 48th in the men’s rankings.
“It’s unbelievable,” Navone said after triumphing in his first meeting with his childhood idol.
“It was a tough match, a battle. Playing against Novak the first time in the biggest stage we have in the world of tennis right now… I mean, it’s crazy.”
Djokovic ‘despised’ every minute
Throughout most of the match, Djokovic looked physically spent, repeatedly throwing up into a courtside bucket and regularly doubling over in pain.
Unsurprisingly, Djokovic said he had “despised” every moment of the ordeal at Flushing Meadows in New York.
“I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me,” he said.
“It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year — 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 the shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out”
Long-term ‘health issue’
At Djokovic’s last tournament, in Cincinnati two weeks ago where he threw up into a towel, he first revealed that he had been struggling with a “health issue” that affects him in hot, humid conditions for “many years.”
Despite the unspecified medical condition, Djokovic reached the final of the Australian Open in January and the semifinals of Wimbledon in June. However, he said following his exit in New York that he’s now simply not physically capable of going deep into tournaments.
This mystery ailment, coupled with his age, will have many asking whether Djokovic, who remarkably still sits at No. 5 in the men’s rankings, could be approaching the end of his career.
Perhaps more alarming than the ailment itself is the fact that he simply doesn’t know how to correct the problem. Still, he appears determined to battle on — at least for now.
“Can the issue be fixed? I don’t know,” he said.
“I’m trying, man. I’m trying. Let’s see.”
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