Rafael Nadal lost a painful battle with his body in 2024. Novak Djokovic might well be losing his own now. After 20 main-draw appearances and four titles at Flushing Meadows, the Serbian has finally tasted defeat in the first round of the US Open.

The four-hour, 36-minute ordeal included tears, vomiting and cramps before Djokovic gave way to Argentina’s Mariano Navone. The last, and only other time Novak fell in a Grand Slam opener was at Melbourne Park, all the way back in January 2006.

Father Time appears to be catching up with the former world No. 1. Having claimed his 24th major title three years ago in New York, he has since stuttered and stumbled at various stages in pursuit of an elusive 25th, one that would take him past Margaret Court’s 53-year-old record.

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The resolve, as always, has been exemplary. Djokovic beat current No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon and top-ranked Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open, in five sets each, this year. But the semi-final and the final, respectively, were as far as he went, admittedly finding his tank “half empty” after the gruelling matches that got him there.

Novak Djokovic exhausted against Argentina’s Mariano Navone during the first round of the U.S. Open.

The timing of a legend’s retirement is perennially debated. Some players aim to bow out on a high; others chase milestones until their body says no. After Monday’s loss, the question that lingers isn’t really about his level, Djokovic showed at Wimbledon and the Australian Open this year that the tennis is still there when his body allows it. It’s whether the physical toll required to keep competing at this level is still one he wants to keep paying.

Across the last two Grand Slam seasons, Novak has lost to Sinner three times and Carlos Alcaraz twice, along with single defeats to Alexander Zverev and João Fonseca, both at the French Open. The next Grand Slam is over four months away, which feels like a long time at this stage of his career. Djokovic will be 40 by the time the next Roland-Garros comes around.

Like Nadal, Djokovic has painstakingly maintained his fitness to stay competitive on tour for over two decades. Time and again, he has appeared worn down on court, medical timeouts often coming to his rescue. That hasn’t been enough this time, given the severity of the physical troubles affecting him.

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The first-round loss to Navone has pushed Djokovic out of the ATP top 10 for the first time since July 2018. He could slip further, with his 2026 season nearing its end. A revival isn’t theoretically impossible, even now; comebacks have long been second nature to the man from Belgrade. It’s just that the challenge ahead looks far more than mental at this point, with his body, and younger opponents, both proving equally unforgiving.