Loss in the first round of the 2026 US Open knocked Novak Djokovic out of the top 10 for the first time in eight years, and also raised doubts about whether he still has enough physical strength to conquer the 25th Grand Slam.
Djokovic has repeatedly made those who doubt him change their views. In 2018, when he fell out of the top 20 in the world and went two years without winning a Grand Slam championship, there was an opinion that the Serbian tennis player's peak period was over. But then he won four of the next five majors and won 12 more Grand Slams in six years.
This time, the situation seems different. Djokovic is 39 years old and three years have passed since the last time he won a Grand Slam, also at the US Open in 2023. The image of him shedding tears in the middle of losing to Mariano Navone on August 31 thus became a moment that evoked many thoughts about the final stage of his career. Djokovic lost to the Argentinian 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4, 2-6, 1-6 after 4 hours and 36 minutes. He vomited, suffered cramps and had a series of physical problems, before almost losing his ability to resist in set five. "My whole body started to collapse," Djokovic described.
"I hated every moment I was on the court in that match," the 24 Grand Slam owner said after the match. "In terms of the match, the feeling of my body and the way I played, there was really nothing interesting. But in terms of the audience and support, everything was wonderful. I regret not being able to play well to repay them."
That failure created a series of sad milestones. Djokovic will leave the ATP top 10 for the first time since July 2018. His streak of 78 consecutive wins in the first round of the Grand Slam ended, as did his record of winning 37 matches in the first two rounds of the US Open. This was also the first time Djokovic lost in the opening match of a Grand Slam in 20 years, since the 2006 Australian Open.
The result in New York is even more remarkable because Djokovic has shown his ability to challenge the younger generation this year. At the Australian Open in January, he came from behind to defeat Jannik Sinner in five sets, stopping his opponent on his way to a third consecutive championship. Djokovic then won the first set of the final against Carlos Alcaraz, but ran out of steam and lost after four sets.
Coming to Wimbledon, Djokovic continued to prove his endurance when he overcame Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is 14 years his junior, in the longest five-set quarterfinal match in the tournament's history. But what happened throughout the year showed that the Serbian tennis player's body became increasingly difficult to meet the harsh demands of the Grand Slam. He left Roland Garros early, then was eliminated in the first round in New York.
In the last 12 Grand Slams, Djokovic has still reached at least the semi-finals eight times. However, the problem now lies not only in tennis level. He recently revealed that he is dealing with a long-term health problem, which is especially affected when playing in hot and humid conditions. At the Cincinnati Open last month, Djokovic collapsed on the court and required medical attention during his unexpected loss in the second round.
A similar situation appeared in New York. Even though the Arthur Ashe court roof was closed early, Djokovic started having problems before that. During more than four and a half hours of confronting Navone, he repeatedly vomited, had cramps and needed medical attention. In the final set, when the audience shouted his name in unison, Djokovic couldn't hold back his tears.
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash believes that the too sparse tournament schedule is part of the reason. Djokovic proactively reduced the number of tournaments to save energy for the Grand Slam. In 2026, he will only attend seven tournaments, including four Grand Slams and three Masters 1000, with a total of 21 ATP-level matches - his fewest in a season since 2004.
"Nothing can replace actual competition," Cash said on BBC radio on September 1. "You can't go into a Grand Slam in hot and humid conditions and expect to get through a five-set match. I know Djokovic is sublime in many ways, but eventually the burden of age will catch up with him."
Djokovic once set a goal of competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, when he was 41 years old. He fulfilled his biggest missing dream with the men's singles gold medal at Paris 2024, just two months after knee surgery and three weeks after losing to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. That achievement helped Djokovic become the fifth player to complete the Career Golden Slam.
Since then, Djokovic's biggest motivation has been his 25th Grand Slam. He currently shares the record of 24 singles titles with Margaret Court and wants to monopolize the number one position in history. However, time is becoming an increasingly difficult opponent to overcome.
Ken Rosewall still holds the record for the oldest male tennis player to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era, when he won the 1972 Australian Open at the age of 37. Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all won their last Grand Slam at the age of 36. Federer was very close to breaking Rosewall's record at Wimbledon 2019, but Djokovic saved two championship points and defeated his senior in the final.
Djokovic's decline also marks another step in closing the "Big 3" era. Federer retires in 2022, Nadal stops in 2024. When the ATP rankings are updated after the US Open, for the first time in nearly 24 years the world's top 10 will not have any of the three.
In the newly released documentary, Djokovic rebutted questions about when to retire: "Why do I have to talk about retirement when I continue to prove to myself that I can win?".
But after a tearful night at Arthur Ashe, the question is no longer just how long Djokovic wants to play. What is more interesting is how long his body will allow him to compete for major titles.
