The king fell too soon: Djokovic’s 20-year first-round streak ends at the US open

For two decades, Novak Djokovic made the first round of a Grand Slam almost feel like a formality. On Sunday, however, one of the greatest players tennis has ever seen found himself on the wrong side of history.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out of the US Open in the opening round, losing to world No. 48 Mariano Navone in a gruelling five-set battle that lasted four hours and 36 minutes. Navone defeated the 39-year-old Serbian 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-4, 2-6, 1-6 to register one of the biggest victories of his career.

It was a sight few tennis fans had imagined. Djokovic, the man who has conquered Grand Slam stages for years, lifted 24 major trophies and repeatedly survived moments when defeat seemed certain was gone before the tournament had truly begun.

The defeat ended Djokovic’s extraordinary run of 78 consecutive Grand Slam first-round victories. The last time he had failed to advance beyond the opening round of a major was at the 2006 Australian Open, when he lost to Paul Goldstein. Twenty years later, that remarkable streak finally came to an end in New York.

And this time, Djokovic was not simply beaten; he appeared to be battling his own body as well. He vomited on court during the match, later suffered cramps and required medical attention. His lower back was massaged between sets as he tried to keep himself in a contest that was slowly slipping away.

Djokovic began the match like the champion fans have watched for so many years, racing to early leads of 3-0 and 4-1 in the opening set. Navone refused to surrender, however, fighting back to force a tiebreak and taking it 7-5.

The Serbian responded like a champion. He won the second and third sets to move ahead 2-1 and appeared to have turned the match around. When he broke Navone early in the fourth set to lead 2-1, another Djokovic comeback seemed possible.

Navone won five consecutive games to take the fourth set 6-2. Djokovic needed medical attention before the deciding set, and the Argentine immediately seized his opportunity, racing into a 3-0 lead.

Navone held his nerve and completed the upset, dropping just one point on his own serve in the final set. For the Argentine, it was the biggest moment of his career. For Djokovic, it was an unfamiliar and painful sight, a first-round exit at a Grand Slam.

The symbolism was hard to miss. Djokovic began his Grand Slam journey at the US Open 21 years ago. Since then, generations of rivals have come and gone, records have fallen and history has been rewritten around him.

Yet on this New York night, the star who so often stood at the centre of tennis's biggest moments was watching his own tournament disappear before the first week had even begun.

Navone, who was facing Djokovic for the first time and had regarded the Serbian as one of his idols, was visibly emotional after the victory. For him, it was a dream come true.

For Djokovic, it was a reminder that even the greatest champions eventually encounter a day when the familiar script no longer works.

The US Open has witnessed countless Djokovic triumphs over the years. This time, it witnessed something far rarer: the fall of a legend in the very first round.

And perhaps that is what made the defeat so difficult to watch, not simply that Djokovic lost, but that a player who had made winning at this stage look almost inevitable suddenly found himself walking away far earlier than anyone expected.

-HIS