Should Novak Djokovic say stop? By losing in the first round of the US Open on Sunday August 30, which had never happened to him throughout his very rich career, the 39-year-old Serbian player appeared particularly physically weakened in his defeat against Mariano Navone, 49th player in the world, in more than 4h30 of play (7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1).
âI hated almost every moment on the court,â he said after vomiting. "It's something that I carry around, unfortunately, almost in every match this year. Vomiting like that, it's a real problem at that level. Then my whole body started to give up, pain, cramps", even blurted out the ex-world No. 1, unrecognizable.
The fall is all the more brutal for Novak Djokovic who remained in a semi-final at Wimbledon, and had also reached the final of the Australian Open in January. âAt the age he is, it is necessarily a special moment, which marks a turning point, especially when we see his emotion on the field, analyzes Arnaud ClĂ©ment, former French number one and TV consultant for Eurosport on this US Open. Even if he lost matches in the first round in the preparation tournaments, in the Grand Slam, he was good and quite quickly, he was gaining strengthâ.
To the point that even his Argentine opponent, Mariano Navone, did not expect such an outcome. The Argentinian, far from being a specialist on hard court, won his first match in five sets. âIt's Novak, he's the 'GOAT' (best player of all time). He always finds the key to beating his opponent,â he recalled. But at almost 40 years old, in the humidity and heat of New York at the end of August, Novak Djokovic stumbled, for the first time since 2006, in the first round of a Grand Slam.
âMy body is starting to fail meâ
For Arnaud Clément, the question of the Serbian's physical limits arises: "Can he still assimilate the efforts he demands from his body to prepare for a Grand Slam?" Dejected and moved, the former world number one, now in fifth place in the ATP rankings, did not appear at a press conference, limiting himself to a brief visit to the mixed zone. "My body is starting to give up on me, with cramps and pain. At the end (of the game), my back and shoulder abandoned me and I couldn't finish," he notably conceded.
From the start of his first round, he seemed to suffer from the heat, despite the application of ice to his face. "His body was no longer in agreement to continue, explains Arnaud Clément. We'll see how the end of the season goes, if he'll be ready to start another season. We're all in the dark, without certainty. And Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly the first when he woke up this morning."
Will he return to the Grand Slam?
This failure is a surprise as Novak Djokovic has pushed the limits in recent years but it also comes at the end of a season which marked him. The latter reported that these physical difficulties have become a habit this year. To the point of calling into question the rest of his career? The 39-year-old Serbian expressed the wish in July to replay "at least once" at Wimbledon, on a London court that he has conquered seven times.
And the Serbian player, the last member of the âBig Threeâ still on the courts, after the sporting retirements of Roger Federer in 2022 and Rafael Nadal in 2024, always has in the back of his mind the quest for his 25th Grand Slam title, an absolute record. âUntil now his level of play allowed him to continue to believe in it, but now, this turning point could undermine his motivation,â assesses the former world number 10.
âIt seems complicated to me that it goes much further than next yearâ
Arnaud Clément at franceinfo: sport
âWhen I am healthy, I feel that I am still capable of playing like a member of the top 5,â Novak Djokovic insisted in July, even if he admitted to feeling âone or two levels belowâ Jannik Sinner after his defeat against the Italian in the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
âThe incredible level that he reached just a few months ago and his immense track record show that he gave everything for 20 years and that his commitment to his sport is unwavering so when he decides that this is the end, he will have no regrets,â prophesies Arnaud ClĂ©ment.
