Djokovic Knocked Out in First Round of U.S. Open by Mariano Navone

Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the first round of the U.S. Open on Sunday night, falling to Argentina’s Mariano Navone in five sets in New York for his first opening-round loss at Flushing Meadows.

Navone, 25, beat the 39-year-old Serbian 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a match that lasted 4 hours, 36 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Djokovic entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed and as a four-time U.S. Open champion, making the result one of the most notable early exits of his career at the event.

According to ESPN/AP, it was Djokovic’s earliest Grand Slam tournament exit since the 2006 Australian Open. ESPN/AP also reported that it was the longest opening-round match of Djokovic’s Grand Slam career, a striking marker for a player who came into the tournament as the men’s record holder with 24 major singles titles.

The match turned not only on errors but also on Djokovic’s physical condition. ESPN/AP reported that Djokovic finished with 70 unforced errors and showed visible signs of distress during the match, including vomiting and cramping. He also took pills from tournament medical staff and received a lower-back massage during a medical timeout between the fourth and fifth sets, according to ESPN/AP.

Navone, meanwhile, arrived in New York as an emerging player rather than an unknown. The Argentine won his first ATP singles title earlier in 2026 and, according to ESPN/AP, Sunday’s victory was his first five-set win at ATP or Grand Slam level. After dropping the second and third sets, he regained control decisively, taking the last two sets 6-2, 6-1 to close out the biggest win of his career.

For Djokovic, the defeat stands out because of both timing and setting. He had never before lost in the first round of the U.S. Open, a tournament he has won four times and one where he has repeatedly gone deep into the draw across nearly two decades.

A record 24-time Grand Slam singles champion and former U.S. Open winner is out on opening night, underscoring the scale of Navone’s breakthrough and the rarity of Djokovic’s early exit.