Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest Grand Slam defeat in twenty years on Sunday. He stated that he does not know the solution to the health problem he faces in 'almost every match' this year.
Argentine Mariano Navone won with a score of 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, thus ending another attempt by Djokovic to secure his record 25th Grand Slam title. This loss also interrupted his streak of 78 first-round victories in Grand Slam tournaments, which began back in 2006 when he lost to Paul Goldstein at the 2006 Australian Open.
During the match, Djokovic experienced physical discomfort: he vomited on the court, suffered spasms at the end of the match, and experienced back pain—a condition he describes as an 'awful feeling' that he unfortunately grows accustomed to.
He noted: 'This is what I carry, unfortunately, in almost every match this year. Vomiting, you spit... Then my whole body starts to collapse, essentially spasms and pain.' Despite reaching the final of the Australian Open and the semi-finals of Wimbledon this year, Djokovic admitted that he is not ready to play deep into tournaments right now and is unsure how to solve this problem.
Despite the difficulties, Djokovic seemed to regain control of the game when he managed to break Navone, bringing the fourth set score to 2-1 with a winning backhand down the line shot. However, Navone won the next five games, raising his arms in triumph after defending two break points to take the lead 5-2, and once again broke Djokovic, forcing the match into a fifth set.
Before the final set, Djokovic took a medical timeout, receiving a back massage and an additional dose of medication. Nevertheless, Navone took the lead 3-0 in the deciding set, and despite the support of the fans, the Serb had no chance of coming back into the game, as his opponent lost only one point on his serve while rushing to finish.
After winning his first encounter with the long-time idol after four hours and 36 minutes, ecstatic Navone declared: 'This is incredible.' He added: 'It was a tough match, a battle. To play against Novak for the first time on the biggest stage in tennis right now... It's like he never lost in the first round before age 20, so I mean, it's madness.'
Navone, ranked 48th, was most satisfied with his mental game. He recounted: 'I was two sets down to one, and then I lost the fourth, but at that moment I felt it.'
In the first set, Djokovic broke Navone in the second game, making the score 3-1. However, he was clearly struggling, and as Navone gained confidence, Djokovic had to fight out situations of 0-40 to maintain the 4-1 advantage, looking tired while Navone started extending rallies. Djokovic's double fault on a break point allowed Navone to reduce the deficit to 4-3, and after a short break to cover from the rain, Navone held the game without errors, leveling the score at 4-4.
No one rushed until the tie-break began, but the pills given by the coach could not eliminate Djokovic's sluggishness. He trailed 4-2 in the tie-break, and after hitting a brilliant forehand winner to level the score at 5-5, Djokovic hit his forehand too far and another weakly into the net, allowing Navone to win the set.
In the tense second set, Djokovic missed opportunities to break Navone in the third and fifth games before breaking him without errors to take the lead 6-5, and held that game to level the set score.
The third set developed along a similar pattern, with Djokovic appearing exhausted after every prolonged rally. He missed a valuable chance to break his opponent in the fifth game of the third set, and after Navone held the game, taking the score to 3-2, Djokovic almost collapsed into the chair by the court, burying his face in a towel.
The Serb continued the fight and secured the decisive break, taking the lead 5-4. He held the advantage to lead two sets to one, but could not maintain that lead. After breaking Navone, bringing the fourth set score to 2-1, Djokovic lost the next eight games.
When the match ended, Djokovic hugged Navone, and then left the court, blowing air kisses to the crowd that tried to wish him well. He thanked the audience: 'I am so grateful for this experience. They tried to encourage me at important moments... the love and appreciation they gave me at the end truly touched my heart.'