On Monday, something remarkable happened in the world of tennis that has not occurred in over two decades: Novak Djokovic slipped from ranking five to twelve in the latest release of rankings. Remarkably, for the first time since October 2002, none of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Djokovic is in the top 10 rankings.

Federer and Nadal retired in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Federer was 41 when he stopped, and Nadal was 38. Djokovic’s 24 major titles are two more than Nadal’s 22 and four more than Federer’s 20.

Lleyton Hewitt was No. 1 in October 2002 and — in a measure of just how much time has passed — his son, 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt, is now a rising professional.

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Early US open exit

Djokovic was beaten in the first round of the U.S. Open by Mariano Navone 15 days ago.

It was Djokovic’s earliest Grand Slam exit in two decades — dating back to the 2006 Australian Open — and the first time ever that he lost his opener at the U.S. Open.

The 39-year-old lost 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a five-set marathon that lasted four hours and 36 minutes. It was the longest opening match of a Grand Slam in Djokovic’s career.

“I didn’t enjoy myself,” Djokovic said. “I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me.”

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“I’ve been very proud of all the achievements in the past, but now is now,” Djokovic said after the loss in New York.

Djokovic made 70 unforced errors in a painful performance that ended mere minutes before midnight.

“It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year: vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there,” Djokovic said. “Then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain. Yeah, the back just gave up in the end and shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out.”

With this defeat, 21 years to the day of his U.S. Open debut, the question now lingers as to whether this was Djokovic’s final match at this or any Grand Slam. After the loss, he said he was “trying to address really what’s going on and how far I can go this way.”

(With agency inputs)