Mariano Navone handed Novak Djokovic his first opening-round loss at a serious since 2006 on Sunday night time on the US Open.
Chris OddoAugust 30, 20262 minute learn
Novak Djokovic suffered a surprising loss on Sunday night time on the US Open, as his streak of 77 consecutive first-round wins on the majors was snapped by 25-year-old Mariano Navone of Argentina in Arthur Ashe Stadium, 7-6(5) 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in 4 hours and 36 minutes.
Djokovic struggled with bodily difficulties from the onset, he by no means totally appeared like himself, and but he nonetheless discovered a solution to take a two units to at least one lead. He was keeled over at occasions, vomiting in conjunction with the court docket at others, and struggling along with his again as nicely.
All of it caught as much as the 39-year-old 24-time main champion in the long run – he received simply three video games within the remaining two units as he suffered his first opening-round loss on the majors since 2006.
“It’s unbelievable, it means quite a bit to me,” Navone stated on court docket after his victory. “It’s a dream come true.”
Navone, ranked forty ninth, turns into the primary Argentine to defeat Djokovic at a serious since 2005, as he logged his second profession Prime 10 win.
Djokovic, bidding for a document twenty fifth main and simply 5 US Opens win shy of turning into the primary participant to win not less than 100 wins at each Grand Slam, had comparable struggles in Cincinnati two weeks in the past, the place he wilted within the warmth as he fell to a different Argentine, Thiago Augustin Tirante, in his solely match on the North American arduous courts earlier than the Open.
The Serbian legend drops to 95-16 lifetime in Flushing Meadows and 392-55 on the Slams.
Credit score Navone for guaranteeing that the pair’s first assembly was a bodily encounter. Djokovic shied away from lengthy factors as a lot as he may, and had sufficient success to get inside a set of victory, however he simply couldn’t muster any physicality on a moist night in Queens, as his spouse Jelena and his two kids appeared on with concern.
Raindrops in Flushing have been a hopeful signal for Flushing as a result of it meant the closing of the roof and cooler circumstances. However they weren’t sufficient to avoid wasting him as the competition plodded previous 4 hours and the good champion’s as soon as prodigious batteries did not hold a cost.
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