Novak Djokovic Breaks Down in Tears Before Shock US Open First-Round Upset – “Is This How It Ends?”

The draw opened up a bit when last year’s US Open runner-up Jannik Sinner withdrew due to a knee niggle, and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz made his comeback after a long injury layoff. So many thought this was a good opportunity for Novak Djokovic to finally end his hunt for his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.

But to his utter disappointment, he crashed out. And that too, in the first round, after a grueling five-set battle against Mariano Navone. He struggled physically throughout the match and was also seen vomiting into the dustbin on multiple occasions.

After losing the first set, the Serb tried to force a comeback, winning the next two sets. But all he could win in the fourth set were two games. Djokovic, in fact, broke down in tears when he was down 1-3 in the decider as the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd tried to raise his spirits, but it all went in vain as the four-time US Open champion eventually suffered a 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 upset.

Novak Djokovic looks very emotional down 1-3 in the 5th set against Navone at the US Open.

Definitely in pain physically, but these also look like emotional tears.

4+ hours at 39 years old.

The New York crowd is trying to give him a push for another heroic comeback.

🥹 pic.twitter.com/QsZqF0Z04o

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 31, 2026

This was the first time since the 2006 Australian Open that the 39-year-old lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam tournament. Djokovic, in fact, had never lost in the first round of the US Open before this year.

The former World No.1 suffered an opening-round exit for the second consecutive time. Before arriving in New York, he lost in three sets to Thiago Agustin Tirante in the opening round of the Cincinnati Masters. During that match as well, he struggled physically, and later at the press conference, he admitted that he has been dealing with a problem that worsens when he competes in extremely hot and humid conditions.

He produced his best Grand Slam performance this season when he reached the final of the Australian Open, where Alcaraz denied him the win. Prior to his four-set defeat at the hands of the seven-time Grand Slam champion, Djokovic stunned two-time defending champion Sinner in five sets in the semifinal.

At the French Open, Joao Fonseca overcame a two-set deficit to upset Djokovic in the third round. Then at Wimbledon, eventual champion Sinner clinched an easy straight-set win over the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the semifinal.

Fans react to Novak Djokovic’s first-round upset at the US Open

Novak Djokovic is trying his all to defy age. But even the man with 24 Majors is not able to beat time. Next season, he will turn 40, so chasing more Grand Slam glory will only be tougher for him. Which is why many fans believe it’s time for Nole to finally end the most glorious chapter of his life rather than suffer fruitlessly in the twilight of his career.

Check how these fans reacted to Djokovic’s defeat:

Is this how it ends for Novak Djokovic 🐐 pic.twitter.com/Sw32EoGSta

— Brett Hoffman (@BrettHoffmanjr) August 31, 2026

Ask him to retire
25th will not come on plate

— Gautam Kashyap (@gkash77) August 31, 2026

He's coming to terms with it's time to retire.

— ⚔️ Robbin Milne (I) ☮️ ⚔️ (@RobbinMilne) August 31, 2026

Oh gosh this is awful to see 😢💔

— Kylie (@KylieS_06) August 31, 2026

Time to retire
Apart from his capacity to last through long matches and the heat, he has lost his air of invulnerability- most decent players on the circuit think that they have a fighting chance against him now

— Joe Sharp (@JoeMSharp) August 31, 2026

The champion needs to reassess and have a long think as to what he wants in 2027! It might be time to move on to the next chapter in his life !!

— SouthsFan 🇦🇺🇭🇷🇦🇺🇭🇷 (@SouthsFanu1992) August 31, 2026

You could tell how hot & exhausted he was from the heat from the start. Djokovic tried so hard. He kept going, took the lead, had his humor back & gained energy after gaining momentum, threw up a few times (which I hated to see) kept trying even though it was so grueling and hard

— Holly B (@hollycbridges) August 31, 2026

He should’ve retired 3 yrs ago

— Chriß 🔟 (@Cb98637507) August 31, 2026

Mariano Navone will next be locking horns with the winner of the match between Matteo Berrettini and wild card Stan Wawrinka, who will compete in his career’s final Grand Slam event, as he will retire at the end of this season. The Italian ace holds a 1-0 head-to-head record over the three-time Grand Slam champion, defeating him in the first round of this year’s Wimbledon after a marathon match which also included four tie-breaks.

The Argentine ace has made the second round of the US Open for the second time in his career. His best Major performance came in last year’s French Open when he reached the third round.

The 25-year-old has so far played four tour-level singles finals, winning just the 2026 Tiriac Open. Apart from the event in Romania, he also reached the final of the Geneva Open this year, losing the match to Learner Tien.

Also read: Novak Djokovic Opens Up About His New Documentary and Hints at Future Projects