Novak Djokovic's Stunning First-Round Loss to Mariano Navone

Novak Djokovic looked beaten long before the scoreline said so.

From the opening games on Arthur Ashe Stadium, something was off. The trademark snarl, the roars to the crowd, the defiant body language — all muted. The 24-time major champion moved like a man fighting more than just an opponent, and over 4 hours and 36 minutes, Mariano Navone made that vulnerability count in a first-round U.S. Open epic that felt like a turning of the page.

Navone, a 49th-ranked Argentine without a single ATP Tour title to his name, outlasted Djokovic 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 under the closed roof on Ashe. On paper, it is one of the great early-round shocks in recent major history. In real time, it was a slow, painful unraveling.

A Champion in Visible Distress

Djokovic, 39 and seeded No. 4, looked distressed from the start. He took tablets, used an inhaler, and repeatedly battled what was described as stomach discomfort. Cameras caught him throwing up into the towel bin during the third set, and again early in the fourth. At times he stretched out his legs and back, clearly trying to ward off cramping.

“This is not much fun for him tonight at all,” Chris Fowler said on ESPN, as Djokovic bent over between points, searching for energy that wouldn’t come.

The Serb had mentioned after his first-round loss in Cincinnati that he had been “dealing with [a health issue] for many years now.” On this night, that issue was no longer a shadow. It was center stage.

Yet even in this diminished state, Djokovic nearly did what he has done to so many opponents for two decades: turn misery into escape.

The Fightback That Briefly Looked Inevitable

After letting a 4-2 lead slip and dropping the opening set in a tiebreak, Djokovic dug in. Navone, who had held for 5-4 in the second set with a 100-mph ace, suddenly tightened. Djokovic pounced, breaking at love for 6-5, then holding at love to level the match. For a few minutes, Ashe felt familiar again.

“And now all of a sudden, he’s starting to look like Novak Djokovic,” John McEnroe said on air, sensing the familiar script.

In the third set, Djokovic’s body rebelled again. He vomited into the towel bin, prompting “Boot and rally” jokes from James Blake and the ESPN crew. The gallows humor fit the moment. Djokovic looked fragile between points — but on serve, he was ruthless. He didn’t face a single break point in the set and broke Navone for 5-4 when the Argentine netted a forehand.

Only then did Djokovic finally put his hand to his ear, trying to pull the crowd into the fight. He closed out the set 6-4. Two sets to one up, on a court he has ruled for years, the comeback seemed almost inevitable.

It wasn’t.

Navone Holds His Nerve, Djokovic Runs Out of Time

The fourth set turned the night. Djokovic’s discomfort deepened. He stretched constantly, grimacing, his movement slower, his reactions dulled. Navone sensed it and refused to blink. When Djokovic sailed a forehand wide to give up the break for 4-2, the momentum snapped decisively.

Navone ran away with the set 6-2. Djokovic’s tank, physical and emotional, was draining fast.

The fifth set was brutal. Serving at 0-1, Djokovic fell behind 0-40. He clawed back some points, but Navone broke for 2-0 when Djokovic couldn’t reach a passing shot after venturing to the net. The Argentine consolidated, 3-0, then 4-1, and every changeover felt heavier.

After holding for 1-3, the crowd roared for Djokovic, trying to will him into one last stand. He looked close to tears, juggling his body’s limits and the weight of the moment. The roar did not spark another miracle. Navone stayed composed, Djokovic faded, and the final set raced away 6-1.

A Historic Night, and a Human One

Djokovic had not lost in the first round of a major since 2006, in the early days of his career. This defeat arrived with his wife Jelena and children Stefan and Tara in the stands, watching a piece of history unfold that no one in that family will forget.

The date carried its own symmetry: 21 years to the day since his U.S. Open debut against Gael Monfils on August 30, 2005, Djokovic walked off Ashe a first-round loser again.

He did it with grace. He waved to the crowd, traced his familiar heart signal, and signed autographs before leaving the court. No tantrums, no smashed rackets. Just a champion acknowledging a night when his body and an inspired opponent had the final say.

“I think it actually turns out better for him because it shows he’s human,” McEnroe said on ESPN. “It gives you an even greater sense of how amazing his accomplishments were.”

The numbers back that up. Djokovic is a 10-time U.S. Open finalist, with six losses in those finals. His last major triumph in New York came in 2023, and he is still chasing a record 25th major title. The scale of his career makes a loss like this feel seismic.

It also underlines a broader shift. According to ESPN, the last time none of “The Big 3” — Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal — reached the second week of a major was 2003 Roland Garros. That stat hung over Ashe like a changing-of-the-guard banner.

Navone’s Night of a Lifetime

For Navone, this was not a passing storyline. It was the night of his life.

“This is [an] amazing court on the biggest stage,” he said on court, still processing the shock. “It’s amazing the way we played, I mean five sets against the GOAT is nothing to every day. I’m very happy, what can I say.”

He grew up idolizing Djokovic. Now he had just beaten him at the U.S. Open, under the lights, in five sets.

“Novak means a lot for me,” he added. “It was very tough for me because you’re playing with the GOAT on this court here and he is here every day in this court when he plays the U.S. Open. This means a lot, it’s a dream come true. It’s certainly 100%. Now I have to recover, I think it’s almost 12 o’clock, we have to go to sleep.”

No bravado. Just awe, fatigue, and the dawning realization that his career will never look the same again.

What Comes Next?

Djokovic’s future remains the looming question. Earlier this year, he beat world No. 1 Jannik Sinner to reach the Australian Open final and made the semifinals at all four majors last season. The level is still there. The resilience is still there. The body, on nights like this, is the wild card.

It’s unclear what comes next for him, or how often he can keep forcing his way deep into majors while managing a long-term health issue. What is clear is that on a wet Sunday night in New York, under a closed roof and an uneasy hush, Novak Djokovic looked human — and Mariano Navone seized his chance.