Novak Djokovic’s first round exit at the US Open has sparked debate as to whether it is time to retire from tennis.
It was on day one of this year’s US Open when Novak Djokovic lost in five sets to Mariano Navone in a first round shock defeat. Since then there has been plenty of debate around Djokovic’s future in tennis and whether he will continue to chase a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. Will Djokovic retire next year or will he continue until the 2028 Olympics.
Founder of Ubitennis Ubaldo Scanagatta and hall of fame writer Steve Flink assess Djokovic’s circumstances and look back at history to see whether players who have been in a similar position have made the right decision in terms of their retirement. They also reflect on a dramatic day five which saw Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime exit the tournament at the second round
The first night session of the US Open this year was approaching the three-hour mark when Novak Djokovic walked briskly to the corner of the vast Arthur Ashe Stadium court, bent down and vomited the contents of his stomach straight into the towel bin.
This was neither the first nor the last time that Djokovic threw up during an excruciating four hours and 36 minutes of suffering, and his miserable night ended around midnight with the 24-time grand slam champion in tears as he was defeated 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 by Mariano Navone in the first round.
Open, over 20 years ago, when he was 18 years old. Perhaps the most startling part of this loss was how early Djokovic’s suffering had started. Before he had even consolidated his opening break at 2-0 in the first set, barely 15 minutes into the match, Djokovic already appeared to be struggling with the humidity even though the match was played in less extreme night-time conditions.
Over the course of the subsequent five sets, Djokovic appeared to be in a daze on the court, alternating between panting desperately from behind the baseline, vomiting, struggling to find his balance and fighting off cramps. By the end of the match, he had nothing left to give.
This was not merely an unlucky illness that struck Djokovic at an inopportune time. Just a couple of weeks ago at the Cincinnati Open, Djokovic struggled badly in similar evening humidity against another Argentinian opponent who did not appear to have any issues in the conditions, with Thiago Agustín Tirante defeating Djokovic in three sets.
Afterwards, Djokovic said that a particular health condition, accentuated by the heat and humidity, was behind his physical struggles. He reiterated those sentiments after this latest painful loss. “I think it was obvious that [it was] an awful feeling on the court for me,” Djokovic said. “It is something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year. You know, vomiting, throwing up, serious issue there, and then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain, and the back just gave up in the end, and shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out, break up in the fourth, but just struggled all the way since the fourth game of the match. And again, don’t want to take too much out of his win. Congrats to him; he’s a nice guy, fighter, but you know, I didn’t enjoy myself.”