Novak Djokovic is considered by many as the best tennis player in the world all-time. The 39-year-old is a 24-time major champion. and has won the United States Open four times.
However on Sunday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Djokovic lost in the first round of the United States Open for the first time in his career. That is noteworthy because Djokovic was playing in his 20th United States Open in 2026.
The player who beat Djokovic was Mariano Navone of Argentina by a score of 7-6, 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Djokovic was seeded fourth heading into Flushing Meadows, and Navone was seeded 49th.
Navone had only won one United States Open match in his career. That came in 2024 when he beat Danny Altmaier of Germany, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.
Djokovic was only the second player ranked in the top-10 that Navone has beaten in his ATP career. Navone also beat the current fourth ranked player in the world, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, 7-6, 7-6 in the second round of the Italian Open.
Now there are questions if we have seen the end of Djokovic at a major. My answer is no. The first reason is you have to realize that Djokovic was generally not feeling well on Sunday night. He was impacted by the humidity, and was cramping. and throwing up on the court. The second reason is the 2028 Olympic Games are less than two years away and Djokovic may try to defend his Olympic title from Paris.
