As the scoreline continued to cascade and the prospect of Novak Djokovic winning even one match in New York this year became increasingly remote, the 24-time grand slam title winner’s suffering and toil drove the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to its feet in the early hours of Monday morning. With Djokovic trailing 3-1 in the fifth set, thousands of spectators stood in unison to salute their champion and urge him on. The moment reduced Djokovic to tears.
This was quite a familiar scene. Five years ago, the same crowd similarly offered a tearful Djokovic a standing ovation as his match against Daniil Medvedev slipped away. The circumstances surrounding those results, however, could have hardly been any different. Back in 2021, Djokovic stood three sets away from winning the calendar year grand slam, the ultimate achievement. Here, he was losing in the first round of the US Open against a clay-court specialist ranked outside the top 50, an opponent he would usually crush with disdain.
Djokovic’s four hours and 36 minutes on court, by far the longest grand slam first‑round match of his career, was already a struggle from about 20 minutes in. He spent much of the match vomiting, cramping and understandably voicing his dismay to his team as he lost 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 against a courageous Mariano Navone.
At 39, and after a record 84 grand slam main‑draw appearances, these physical issues have been a large part of Djokovic’s story this year. When he has been relatively fit, he has played at a remarkable level considering his age, but his ageing body is his greatest rival. In Australia, his miraculous run to the final after his five-set win against Jannik Sinner ended with Djokovic being devoid of energy in his match against Carlos Alcaraz, despite receiving a walkover and retirement victory en route. He was ravaged by injuries for months in the build‑up to the French Open, which was reflected in him again vomiting and cramping in his five‑set third‑round defeat against an excellent João Fonseca. Although he was more physically prepared for Wimbledon, the tank was empty for his semi‑final with Sinner.
In New York, this result had been foretold by his defeat in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, where he struggled badly in humid conditions. As in Cincinnati, Djokovic said he has been dealing with physical issues for some time and these episodes are no longer a surprise. Djokovic is the sport’s greatest physical titan who has pushed men’s tennis to greater heights with his physicality and endurance. The evidence suggests increasingly that his body cannot keep up.
Losing matches is difficult enough, but his time on court in New York this year just looked like a completely miserable experience from the beginning. Instead of being able to embrace the battle and focus on problem solving, he was in survival mode throughout, trying to endure the pain for as long as he could. It looked like a horrendous experience. It came as no surprise that, when Djokovic came off the court, he almost immediately explained how much he despised his time on the court.
This was Djokovic’s first opening-round defeat at a grand slam tournament since 2006, and his first at the US Open. He leaves New York with perhaps the most serious period of reflection for his future ahead of him. Time comes for everyone. Despite how masterfully he has evaded it for so long, continuing to perform at such a high level while on the verge of turning 40, it is gaining on him quickly.
The long final stretch of Djokovic’s career has been an incredible sight. He has achieved more than anyone at his age and demonstrating his enduring passion for the sport has been a pleasure. If his struggles with his body continue, if his physical discomfort continues to generate misery on the court, it is clear that Djokovic will have to reflect on how long he is willing to put himself through this.
He has long identified the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as his ultimate target, a chance to defend his gold medal from Paris 2024. At 39, nearly two years is an eternity and the prospect of trying to keep his body together seems a daunting task. Still, this is Novak Djokovic, who has won more than any other man in history. It is a reflection of his success and resilience that it is still unclear whether this is the defeat that causes the Serb to consider an end to his unprecedented career.
