The Argentine defeated the Serbian 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, and 6-1 in over four hours of play and advanced to the second round of the New York Grand Slam
There are nights that can change a career and Mariano Navone has just starred in one of them. In the impressive Arthur Ashe Stadium, in front of a crowd that expected to see another exhibition of tennisfrom Novak Djokovic, the Argentine achieved a victory he will hardly forget: he defeated the Serbian 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, and 6-1 after 4 hours and 36 minutes of a match marked by intensity and physical wear,and advanced to the second round of the US Open.
Navone had to go through an adverse start, partly due to the size of the stage and the opponent. Djokovic quickly took a 3-0 lead, but the Argentine managed to settle in, broke back, and took the first set to a tie-break, where he managed to gain the advantage.
Djokovic was able to reverse the initial result, but he began to lose strength in the match due to physical exhaustion
The Serbian reacted in the next two sets and showed all his class to turn the match around. Even with physical discomfort that forced him to receive attention during one of the breaks, he found a way to win 7-5 and 6-4 to be one set away from victory.
The match, however, still had one more twist. In the fourth set, Navone regained aggression, began to hurt again with his shots, and took advantage of the growing fatigue of his opponent to take the set 6-2. Djokovic, who even vomited at the end of the third set, was already showing signs that the exertion was starting to take its toll.
In the fifth, the difference was overwhelming. The Argentine maintained his concentration, avoided getting involved with the evident discomfort of the Balkan, and dominated from start to finish to close the match with a 6-1. Djokovic, visibly affected, could not hold back his tears while Navone celebrated one of the most important victories of his career.
"There aren't many chances to play against an idol, it's incredible what I'm feeling right now, it's very exciting, it's crazy, I'm very happy. It hasn't been an easy few weeks, and my team has always been there", expressed Navone after the match.
The Argentine also emphasized the magnitude of what he achieved: “This is the first time I've won a match in five sets, and it was against Djokovic!". He added: "Without a doubt, it's fantastic to win on this court, given how we played. Winning in five sets against the GOAT (the greatest of all time) is not something that happens every day".
"It's incredible, it means a lot to me. In the lead-up, it was tough because I was going to play against the GOAT, against this opponent, he's always been on this court(the main court in New York). It's a dream. Now I have to recover, I have to go to sleep and prepare", he concluded.
Navone became the second Argentine to eliminate Djokovic in a Grand Slam tournament
The victory also has a special statistical value. Navone became the second Argentine to defeat Djokovic in a Grand Slam tournament, after Guillermo Coria's victory over the Serbian at Roland Garros 2005. He also became the first player in over two decades to eliminate him in the first round of a major, since Paul Goldstein at the Australian Open 2006.
The current situation of the Buenos Aires native partly explains why he arrived in New York with enough confidence to face such a challenge. During 2026 he won his first ATP title in Bucharest, was runner-up in Geneva, and achieved notable victories in Masters 1000 tournaments against players like Félix Auger-Aliassime, Valentin Vacherot, and Raphael Collignon.
Now he will have to maintain that level in the second round of the US Open, where he will face the winner of the match between Stanislas Wawrinka (127th) and Matteo Berrettini (43rd).
On the other side, Djokovic once again failed to win a tournament in 2026. The Serbian, who arrived in New York with the goal of continuing to pursue his twenty-fifth Grand Slam, had been a finalist at the Australian Open and a semi-finalist at Wimbledon. This time, his journey ended unexpectedly at the hands of an Argentine who just achieved the most resounding victory of his career.
