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US Open: Tearful Djokovic stunned in first round
For the first time since the Australian Open in 2006, the Serbian has lost in the first round of a Major
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Mumbai: Novak Djokovic started the match with an ace. A perfect, clearly struck serve down the T caught the line and was clocked at 122 mph (196 kmph). It was a point that, for most, would settle the pre-match nerves.
Nerves though, were never going to be a problem for Djokovic. He is a man who has won 1177 competitive tennis matches, clinched 101 titles, and is the joint-world record holder for 24 Grand Slam singles titles. However, his physicality could be a problem. He is, after all, a 39-year-old in the twilight of an illustrious career in a sport that has become increasingly demanding.
Yet, very few could have predicted what would transpire on Sunday night. As an ailing Djokovic, the world No.5, made a 12th bid for the elusive 25th Major title, his journey would be cut-short at the first hurdle against world No.49 Mariano Navone in the opening round of the US Open.
Deep Dive
For all his grit and determination, and even a two-sets-to-one lead, Djokovic lost a lengthy five-set tie 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4, 2-6, 1-6 in a match that lasted four hours and 36 minutes.
This was the first time since the Australian Open in 2006 (and third time in his career) that Djokovic had lost in the first round of a Major. And at the end of it all, he still managed to put on a brave face, muster a few smiles, make heart gestures and wave at the crowd before walking off court.
The same court that saw him win the US Open title four times, including his 24th Grand Slam in 2023. The Arthur Ashe Stadium has given him some of his greatest moments, but on Sunday, it was a place of great discomfort.
“I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me,” Djokovic said in his post-match conference. “It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year. Vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there. Then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain. The back just gave up in the end and the shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out.”
For a while, despite losing the opening set, it did seem that Djokovic would come up with yet another come-from-behind win. He clinched the second and third set before getting the early break in the fourth – with a stunning backhand down the line winner.
That was one of the 46 winners Djokovic would hit against Navone’s 36. The Serbian, however, did also commit 70 unforced errors to the Argentine’s 34.
The dogged Navone wouldn’t go away though. He clawed his way back into the contest, winning 11 of the next 12 games to clinch a memorable win.
Along the way, Djokovic’s health issues, which had surfaced dramatically during the Cincinnati Masters a few weeks ago, came back to hamper him.
His movement slowed down, the back began to creak, and his towel box in the corner of the court became more of a puke bucket, as he vomited several times.
He also admitted to having thought of retiring from the match.
“I have, I have. I have, but then I won a set and then (the) third one,” he said. “Then I was, like, ‘Okay, maybe there is a chance’. Yeah, I didn’t want to give up in fourth or fifth, so I wanted to kind of finish the match.”
Navone started to run away with the match in the fifth set with Djokovic hoping more than dictating play.
He did manage to win a solitary game in the fifth, leading to a remarkable moment in the Arthur Ashe Stadium. On the same court in the final in 2018, fans chanted ‘Ole, ole, ole’ to cheer for Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro. Djokovic, then, brainwashed himself into thinking they were saying his nickname ‘Nole.’
On Sunday there was no mistaking the calls of ‘Nole,’ leading the Serbian to tear up in the fourth game of the last set.
A few years earlier perhaps, that would have been the spark he needed to get onto the trail of an incredible recovery to win the match. For a man who has nothing more to prove, he plays with an intensity and tenacity of someone who still has more to achieve.
The physical demands of the sport, younger players to compete against, and now bouts of illness that flare up under hot and humid conditions have taken a great deal out of him in recent weeks.
There’s no telling when Djokovic will compete next. But at the US Open, despite the early loss and the ailing body, he walked out after completing the match. With a slight smile on his face to hide the disappointment.
But with his head held high.
