Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit in 20 years on Monday and said he doesn’t know the solution to the physical problems he’s battled in “pretty much every match” this year. Argentine Mariano Navone’s 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory ended Djokovic’s latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title. It also ended his run of 78 Grand Slam first-round victories, a streak stretching all the way back to Djokovic’s 2006 loss to Paul Goldstein at the 2006 Australian Open. Djokovic vomited on court and struggled with late-match cramps and back pain — an “awful feeling” that he’s becoming used to.
“It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year. Vomiting, throwing up … Then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain.”
Although he reached the final of the Australian Open this year and the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Djokovic said he’s not equipped right now to go deep in tournaments — and he’s not sure what the fix is.
“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,” he said.
Despite his struggles, Djokovic appeared to have finally taken control when he broke Navone for a 2-1 lead in the fourth set with a vintage backhand winner down the line.
But Navone won the next five games, raising his arms in celebration after fighting off two break points for a 5-2 lead and breaking Djokovic again to force the fifth set.
Djokovic took a medical timeout before the final set, receiving massage on his spine and another delivery of medication.
But Navone jumped to a 3-0 lead in the decisive set and despite the urging of fans there was no road back for the Serb as his opponent dropped just one point on his own serve as he sprinted to the finish line.
“It’s unbelievable,” an ecstatic Navone said after triumphing in his first meeting with his longtime idol after four hours and 36 minutes.
“It was a tough match, a battle. Playing against Novak the first time in the biggest stage we have in the world of tennis right now .. Like, until 20 years he never lose in the first round, so I mean, it’s crazy.”
Navone, ranked 48th, was most pleased with his mental game.
“I was two sets to one down, and then break down also in the fourth, but in that moment I felt it,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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