Novak Djokovic Vomits, Breaks Down in Tears in Shocking US Open First-Round Exit

Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title ended in stunning fashion on Sunday night, as the 39-year-old Serbian was eliminated in the first round of the 2026 US Open by unseeded Argentine Mariano Navone. The 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 defeat marked Djokovic’s earliest exit from a major tournament in two decades, and it came amid visible physical distress that included repeated vomiting and tears on Arthur Ashe Stadium’s court.

Djokovic, a four-time US Open champion and 24-time Grand Slam winner, had not lost in the opening round of a major since 2006. The fourth-seeded star entered Flushing Meadows still chasing the milestone that has eluded him even as he’s rewritten tennis history, and bettors weighing his odds against the field had watched his recent form closely after an early exit at the Cincinnati Open just two weeks earlier. Navone, ranked outside the top 40, becomes the latest unseeded player to author one of the sport’s biggest Grand Slam upsets.

A Brutal Five Sets and a Health Scare

The nearly five-hour battle unfolded in dramatic fashion. Djokovic won the second set after getting sick courtside, then battled through additional bouts of vomiting to close out the third set as well, putting him up two sets to one. But his body began to betray him from there. He was broken repeatedly in the fourth and fifth sets as cramping, back pain, and a shoulder issue mounted, and Navone seized control, closing out the match 6-2, 6-1 in the final two sets to complete the improbable comeback.

Djokovic did not hide from the severity of the moment afterward. “It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year — vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there,” he told reporters. “Then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain. Yeah, the back just gave up in the end, and shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out.” He added that the ordeal was “really not enjoyable,” saying he “pretty much despised every moment” spent on the court, while still crediting Navone’s performance: “He’s a nice guy, a fighter. But I didn’t enjoy myself.”

What Comes Next for the Serbian Great

The loss raises fresh questions about how much longer Djokovic can chase his 25th major. He acknowledged as much when discussing the recurring illness that has now surfaced at both Cincinnati and New York. “I’m really trying to come to terms with what’s happening and see how far I can go like this,” he said, adding that whether the issue “can be fixed” remains uncertain. For a player who has spent nearly two decades as the sport’s most dominant force, the sight of him in tears and physically spent against a player ranked 49th in the world is a jarring reminder that even the greatest careers have a finish line.

For Navone, the win instantly becomes the signature moment of his career. “Five sets, against the GOAT, it’s not something you do every day,” the 25-year-old said courtside. “It means a lot to me. It’s a dream come true.” As the US Open field narrows in the days ahead, sportsbooks will be recalculating Grand Slam futures without one of the tournament’s most storied contenders, and anyone tracking how those lines move can find real-time shifts using an odds calculator to see just how much Djokovic’s absence reshapes the outright market.