Novak Djokovic dumped out in a five-set shock while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached round two after a four-month wrist layoff and several high-profile withdrawals reshaped the early draw.

70 unforced errors. That is how many Novak Djokovic made in a five-set first-round loss to Mariano Navone, a tally that underlined a physical collapse which saw the 24-time major winner vomit, receive an on-court medical timeout and finish the match in visible cramp and soreness.

The match lasted about four hours and 36 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium and ended Djokovic’s run at Flushing Meadows in his 20th US Open appearance, a result that opens the draw. By contrast, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, returning from a four-month right wrist layoff, settled through his match with Jaime Faria and advanced to the second round, celebrating on court after the win. Daniil Medvedev advanced in straight sets, while former champion Marin Cilic and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud withdrew with injuries.

What Happened

Novak Djokovic's US Open campaign ended on day one with a five-set loss to Mariano Navone, removing one of the tournament's top favourites from the draw.

In his 20th US Open appearance, Djokovic was beaten by Mariano Navone in the first round, 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

The match lasted nearly four hours and 36 minutes. Djokovic made 70 unforced errors, vomited during play, showed cramping and soreness, and received a medical timeout. He played the final set through tears.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz returned from a four-month right wrist layoff and progressed to the second round, celebrating after his match with Jaime Faria.

Other early developments reshaped the draw: Daniil Medvedev won his first-round match in straight sets, while former champion Marin Cilic and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud withdrew from the tournament with injuries.

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The Key Moment

The match turned when Novak Djokovic's body stopped cooperating.

After almost four hours and 36 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Djokovic vomited, later appeared to cramp and took a medical timeout for on-court treatment, a sequence that fractured his rhythm and ceded momentum to Mariano Navone. The physical trouble coincided with a dramatic spike in errors; Djokovic finished with 70 unforced errors and was reduced to playing through visible tears in the final set. Navone, ranked 49th, seized the opening and closed out a five-set win, 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

The practical effect was immediate and measurable: long rallies that had been even turned into short points against Djokovic, and Navone began taking more risks and converting them. Photographs from the first round captured other moments from the day, including Bu Yunchaokete of China returning a shot.

By The Numbers

The Djokovic-Navone match produced the tournament's most eye-catching boxscore.

  • Scoreline: Mariano Navone beat Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
  • Duration: almost four hours and 36 minutes, finishing just before midnight local time.
  • Unforced errors: Djokovic made 70 unforced errors in the match.
  • Physical issues: the 24-time major winner vomited at least once and later showed cramping and soreness, receiving treatment on court.
  • Rankings note: Navone was ranked 49th at the time of the match.
  • Tournament movement: former champions Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud withdrew with injuries, while Daniil Medvedev progressed in straight sets.

What's Next

Djokovic's shock first-round exit forces a sudden redraw of expectations at Flushing Meadows, while Carlos Alcaraz's successful comeback shifts attention to his wrist and stamina over the coming rounds. The tournament lost two seeded players before play began, and that will alter which sections of the draw look genuinely open.

Immediate implications

  • Mariano Navone advances to the second round after beating Novak Djokovic in a five-set match that lasted about four hours and 36 minutes. Navone arrives with momentum from a victory that ended Djokovic's 20th US Open appearance.
  • Daniil Medvedev also moved through the opening round in straight sets and occupies one of the more stable lines in the draw.
  • Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, returned from a four-month layoff with a right wrist injury and progressed, celebrating after his match with Jaime Faria. His presence preserves a major title storyline.
  • Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud withdrew with injuries, removing two former finalists and opening portions of the bracket that had been pencilled in around them.

What to watch this week

  • Alcaraz's workload. He has not played since a right wrist injury in April and will be tested by match minutes and pressure matches. How many long, competitive sets he tolerates without visible pain will be a practical barometer.
  • Navone's follow-up. A 4-hour-36-minute win over Novak Djokovic both boosts confidence and tests recovery. Whether he can maintain that level into the second round will determine if the upset has lasting effect.
  • The ripple from withdrawals. With Cilic and Ruud out, lower-ranked players and qualifiers in their sections get clearer paths to the middle rounds. That will change where seeded favourites have to spend effort to avoid early exits.

The concrete stake is immediate: if Alcaraz's wrist holds, he remains a live defending champion and the tournament keeps its marquee title narrative; if it flares up, the defending champion will be gone early and large sections of the draw become markedly more open.

Originally reported by ABC.

By Liam Donovan, Tech & Sports Reporter, Aussie Herald

Liam Donovan covers the technology industry and Australian sport for Aussie Herald. On the tech beat, he reports on the Australian startup ecosystem, cybersecurity regulation, critical minerals and semiconductor policy, and the global tech stories that directly affect Australian consumers and businesses. On the sports side, he covers the AFL, NRL, and cricket - with a focus on the business end of sport, salary cap strategy, and broadcast rights.

Liam grew up on the Gold Coast, where he started writing match reports for a local rugby league club website while still at university. He graduated from the Queensland University of Technology with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Information Technology. After graduation, he spent three years at a Brisbane-based digital outlet covering Queensland's growing defence tech corridor and the expansion of tech hubs outside Sydney and Melbourne.

He joined Aussie Herald because he refused to choose between his two favourite beats. His technology reporting has covered everything from Australia's critical minerals strategy to app store regulation and the NBN's ongoing evolution. His sports writing is numbers-driven - he is more interested in why a club traded a pick than in the trade itself.

Liam believes the most interesting stories live at the intersection of industries. He still insists that rugby league is the best spectator sport in the world, a claim that sparks a different argument depending on which state he is in.

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