Novak Djokovic admits uncertainty over future after five-set US Open loss to Mariano Navone

Novak Djokovic admitted on September 1, 2026 that he is unsure how much longer he can compete at the top level after a five-set defeat by Argentina’s Mariano Navone ended his US Open campaign in the opening round at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 39-year-old Serb, who has spent 428 weeks as the World No. 1 across his career, had been chasing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows. The loss was only his third opening-round defeat at a major and his first such exit in 20 years, since the 2006 Australian Open; his only other first-round loss at a Slam came in 2005.

Djokovic appeared to be in serious discomfort during the match, visibly vomiting courtside in the third set and later requiring treatment for his back and shoulder. Despite those issues he still took a couple of sets off Navone, the World No. 49, before his body gave way in the deciding set.

Speaking after the match, Djokovic described the physical problems he experienced, saying via Olly Tennis: “The vomiting, the gagging, it’s a serious problem. Then my whole body started to give way, with cramps and pain. In the end, my back and shoulder also gave out, and I couldn’t finish the match. I was a break (of serve) up in the fourth set, but I had already been struggling a lot from the fourth game onwards.”

He congratulated his opponent after the defeat, saying: “I don’t want to take anything away from his victory. Congratulations to him. He’s a good guy and a fighter. But I didn’t have fun out there.”

The loss capped a difficult 2026 campaign that included a runner-up finish to Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, a third-round exit to Joao Fonseca at the French Open, and a semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon following a marathon five-hour quarter-final. On his ongoing fitness concerns Djokovic added: “I don’t know [how I can solve it]. At the moment, I don’t want to go into too much detail. I’m just trying to understand what’s going on and how much longer I can keep going like this.”

The defeat eliminated Djokovic from this year’s US Open, and his most recent Grand Slam title remains the 2023 US Open, when he beat Daniil Medvedev 6–3, 7–6 [7–5], 6–3.