Novak Djokovic was celebrating ahead of the US Open his twentieth appearance at the final Grand Slam of the season. The number 20 haunts the Serb, who bowed out in the first round of a major 20 years later after falling in five sets to Mariano Navone, 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2 and 6-1. That snapshot had not occurred since the 2006 Australian Open, when a young ‘Nole’ bent the knee against American Paul Goldstein.
At 39 years old, the problem is no longer his age but that his body cannot tolerate extreme conditions and, especially, humidity. And in the summer in the United States, it does not drop below 70 percent, whether in Cincinnati or in New York.
At the Ohio Masters 1000, he bowed out in his opening match against Thiago Tirante, with clear problems coping with the conditions. In the city of skyscrapers, it was another Argentine, Mariano Navone, who knocked him out when nobody expected it. By now it no longer matters whether he plays during the day or at night. In the sun or under the lights. He himself had already warned that training is not the same as playing.
Navone is ranked No. 49 and Tirante was No. 50 when he knocked out Djokovic. Neither of his two executioners has the stature or the tennis to defeat the greatest tennis player in history under normal conditions.
But Nole is paying the price of top-level competition and his career is now very much in question. The option of winning a Grand Slam again seems like a utopia, as does Jimmy Connors’ record of 109 titles won in the Open Era. He has 101.
His most realistic motivation is to participate in the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 Games. “I didn’t enjoy it. I think it was obvious that I had a horrible feeling on the court for me. It’s something I’ve been carrying in every match this year. My whole body starts to collapse, basically cramps and pain,” he explained at the end. Vomiting and the presence of the physiotherapist, to treat his back and shoulder, were the prelude to a tearful defeat. His farewell sounded like the last one at Arthur Ashe.
No return date
Four years after Roger Federer’s retirement and two since Rafael Nadal called it quits, Djokovic is now truly wrestling with what to do.
For now, there is no return date. And when he does return, he will no longer be in the world’s top 10, so his draws will become increasingly difficult. He is eleventh, and Rafa Jódar could push him down even further if he reaches the quarterfinals. The difference between them is 321 points.
Far from the “top 10”
To find the last time he was not among the top ten in the rankings, you have to go back to the week of July 2, 2018. The question is on the table, and there is already talk in tennis circles about when the Serbian legend should call it quits. “Australia is a long way off. I don’t know what’s happening to me or how far I can go if I keep going like this,” he warns.
In the current season, he has barely been able to play a total of 21 matches, 14 of which he has won. In addition to the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, he has only been at Indian Wells, Rome and Cincinnati.
The perfect ending would have been with Olympic gold in Paris against a rival of Carlos Alcaraz’s caliber. The hunger to keep winning pushed him to remain active: “I considered retiring from the match with Navone, but then I won two sets.” The magic from Nole’s hat is running out.
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