Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title ended in the opening round of the 2026 US Open after Argentina’s Mariano Navone completed a five-set upset under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Navone won 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a match lasting four hours and 36 minutes. Djokovic led by two sets to one, but his physical condition deteriorated as the contest moved deeper into the night. The 39-year-old struggled with vomiting, cramping and pain in his back and shoulder before Navone pulled away in the final two sets.
The defeat was Djokovic’s first opening-round loss at the US Open and his earliest exit from any Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open. For Navone, it was the biggest victory of his career and his first win in a five-set match.
Djokovic vs Navone: full score and match details
- Winner: Mariano Navone
- Score: 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
- Round: Men’s singles first round
- Venue: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York
- Match duration: 4 hours, 36 minutes
- Next opponent: Matteo Berrettini or Stan Wawrinka
The result was unexpected for several reasons. Djokovic was the fourth seed, a four-time US Open champion and had never lost in the first round across 19 previous main-draw appearances in New York. Navone entered the tournament with a far less established record on hard courts and had lost all four of his previous five-set matches.
Those numbers stopped mattering once Navone stayed close through the opening stages and Djokovic began showing signs of physical distress.
How the match changed
Djokovic started with early leads of 3-0 and 4-1 in the first set, but Navone recovered and forced a tiebreak. The Argentine took it 7-5, turning what looked like a routine start for the favourite into a demanding contest.
Djokovic responded by winning the second set 7-5 and the third 6-4. At that point, experience appeared to be taking control. Djokovic entered the match with a 42-12 career record in five-set contests and has built much of his reputation on finding solutions when matches become physically and mentally difficult.
The fourth set changed the direction again. Djokovic briefly led by a break but could not hold the advantage. His movement became more restricted, his serve lost effectiveness and Navone kept extending rallies. The Argentine won six of the final seven games to take the set 6-2.
By the fifth set, Djokovic was struggling to recover between points. He had received medical treatment, taken medication and had his lower back worked on during a timeout. Navone stayed composed, opened a decisive lead and closed the final set 6-1 shortly before midnight.
Official ATP reporting recorded 70 unforced errors from Djokovic compared with 34 from Navone. Navone created 17 break-point opportunities and converted six. Those statistics reflected a match in which the underdog kept making Djokovic play another ball while the errors accumulated.
What Djokovic said about his condition
Djokovic did not use the physical problems to take credit away from Navone, but he made clear that the issue was not limited to one difficult night.
After the match, he described an ongoing problem that has affected him during the season, including vomiting and a wider physical collapse involving cramping and pain. Similar concerns surfaced earlier in August when he struggled in the heat and humidity during a first-round loss at the Cincinnati Open.
At the US Open, the symptoms were visible. Djokovic vomited during the match, grabbed at his foot as cramp appeared to set in, received treatment for his back and showed discomfort after several shots. He still completed the match and congratulated Navone at the net.
The uncertainty now is larger than one tournament. Djokovic said he is trying to understand what is happening and how far he can continue in his current condition. No specific diagnosis has been publicly confirmed, so it would be premature to draw conclusions about his long-term future.
Why this is a historic US Open upset
Djokovic made his US Open debut in 2005 and reached at least the second round in each of his first 19 main-draw appearances. He won the title in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023 and entered the 2026 tournament still chasing a fifth New York championship.
His last first-round defeat at a major came at the 2006 Australian Open. In the two decades since, even his unsuccessful Grand Slam campaigns usually extended deep into the draw.
That consistency continued into the later stage of his career. Djokovic reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semifinals in 2026. His recent defeats at majors had generally come against leading players such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, rather than in the opening round against an unseeded opponent.
The New York loss therefore carries historical weight. It ends his latest attempt to move beyond the 24 major titles he currently shares as the leading total in men’s singles history and raises new questions about his ability to recover physically between demanding matches.
Who is Mariano Navone?
Navone is a 25-year-old Argentine who built his reputation primarily on clay. He entered the US Open ranked around the world’s top 50 and had won his first ATP singles title earlier in 2026.
Hard courts have not traditionally produced his best results, which made the upset even more striking. ATP statistics showed a 12-29 tour-level hard-court record entering the match.
Navone’s advantage was persistence. He absorbed Djokovic’s stronger stretches, recovered after falling two sets to one behind and continued testing the former world No. 1 physically. On match point, he chased down a drop volley and guided the ball into the open court before sharing an emotional embrace with Djokovic at the net.
Navone grew up admiring Djokovic and described the occasion as a dream. The victory gives him a major global spotlight, but his tournament continues quickly. He is scheduled to face the winner of the first-round match between Matteo Berrettini and Stan Wawrinka.
What the result means for the men’s draw
Djokovic’s exit removes one of the most successful players in US Open history from his section of the draw. It also changes a tournament already missing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner because of injury.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz remains among the leading contenders, although he arrived in New York playing his first tournament since Barcelona in April. With Djokovic gone, players in the same quarter now have a clearer path and Navone has an opportunity to build on the tournament’s first major shock.
The result will also intensify discussion about the physical demands facing older players across an increasingly long tennis calendar. Djokovic has repeatedly adapted his schedule to focus on Grand Slams, but even selective preparation could not prevent the problems that affected him in Cincinnati and New York.
For Djokovic, the next step is recovery and medical assessment rather than another match. For Navone, the challenge is to reset after the biggest night of his career and avoid allowing one famous win to become the end of his US Open story.
Photo: Novak Djokovic reacts during his first-round match against Mariano Navone at the US Open on August 30, 2026. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II.
