‘Awful feeling’: Djokovic rues physical collapse in US Open exit

Novak Djokovic described an “awful feeling” after his body betrayed him during a shock first-round exit at the US Open, with the 39-year-old's bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title ending in a gruelling five-set defeat to Mariano Navone on Sunday.

The four-time champion was beaten 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 by the unseeded Argentine in a four-hour, 36-minute battle, marking Djokovic's earliest exit from a Grand Slam in 20 years.

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Djokovic was visibly struggling throughout the contest, vomiting during the match before being hampered by cramping and back and shoulder problems as the physical demands of the encounter eventually overwhelmed him.

“I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me,” Djokovic said after the match.

“It's something that I've been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year. Vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there. Then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain.

“Yeah, the back just gave up in the end, and shoulder. I couldn't close it out. I was a break up in the fourth, but just struggled all the way since the fourth game of the match.”

It was a painful end to a night in which Djokovic had repeatedly fought against his physical limitations.

The Serb began strongly and raced into a 3-0 lead in the opening set, but Navone gradually found his way into the contest and forced a tie-break, which he won to stun the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.

Djokovic responded with the resilience that has defined so much of his career, taking the second set before edging ahead after a difficult third.

But the physical problems never disappeared.

Even after vomiting midway through the match, Djokovic managed to break Navone for a 5-4 lead in the third set and closed it out to move within one set of the second round.

He was also a break ahead in the fourth before his body began to give way.

His serve deteriorated as back and shoulder problems intensified, allowing the 25-year-old Navone to level the match. By the deciding set, Djokovic had little left to offer as the Argentine completed the biggest victory of his career.

The defeat was Djokovic's first opening-round loss at a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open and his first-ever first-round exit at the US Open.

Despite the scale of the upset and the circumstances surrounding his performance, Djokovic was careful not to diminish Navone's achievement.

“Again, I don't want to take too much out of his win,” Djokovic said. “Congratulations to him. He's a nice guy, a fighter. But I didn't enjoy myself.”

Asked whether retirement had crossed his mind as his physical condition worsened, Djokovic said he was determined to see the match through.

“I didn't want to give up in fourth or fifth,” he said. “I wanted to finish the match.”

For Navone, meanwhile, it was a night beyond anything he had imagined.

“Five sets, against the GOAT, it's not something you do every day. I'm very happy,” the Argentine said on court.

“It means a lot to me. It's a dream come true.”