Novak Djokovic's projected route through New York began with Mariano Navone. On Sunday night, August 30, it also ended there. The Argentine won 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in four hours and 36 minutes, stopping the Serbian's pursuit of a 25th major in the opening round.
Djokovic came close to turning another difficult match into an exercise in survival. After losing the first-set tiebreak, he took the second 7-5, broke late in the third and moved ahead in the fourth. From there, however, his movement and ability to sustain rallies declined. Navone recovered the break and won 11 of the final 14 games.
The physical difficulty was visible. Djokovic vomited during the match, cramped and received treatment before the fifth set. Afterwards, he said nausea and pain have affected matches throughout this season and explained that his back and shoulder limited the final response. Without a published diagnosis, that account should not be turned into a prognosis; it establishes that his body stopped responding when the match demanded the most.
Navone did not win only because his opponent's level dropped. The World No. 49 recovered from a break down in the first set, kept attacking returns after Djokovic moved ahead and entered the fifth without carrying the weight of the occasion. He converted six of 17 break points and earned the first five-set victory of his career.
For Djokovic, the result ends a two-decade run. His previous opening-round defeat at a major came at the 2006 Australian Open. Across 20 US Open appearances, this was his first loss at the initial stage. Set against his 95 victories and four titles in New York, the night becomes even more unusual.
The pursuit of a 25th major, which framed every reading of his draw, is postponed. The projected semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz never came into view; possible reunions with Stan Wawrinka and Daniil Medvedev disappeared too. The route published two days earlier was a map of possibilities. Navone showed why none of them amounted to a promise.
One defeat cannot answer every question about Djokovic's schedule or future. At 39, he had reached the Australian Open final and the Wimbledon semifinals this season. He had also lost early in Cincinnati while struggling physically. The responsible conclusion is narrower: his 2026 US Open campaign ended on its first night.
As he left Arthur Ashe, Djokovic waved to the crowd and made a heart with his hands. The gesture may hold disappointment, gratitude or simply a farewell to that session; it does not need to be turned into an announcement. The concrete story belongs to Navone, who will face Matteo Berrettini or Wawrinka in the second round, and to Djokovic, who must now reorganize his body and schedule before the next attempt.
Sources consulted: US Open/USTA and ATP Tour. Reporting updated August 31, 2026.