‘It’s a dream come true’: Mariano Navone after stunning Novak Djokovic

New York, Aug 31 (IANS) Argentina’s Mariano Navone reacted to his stunning win over 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles first round of the US Open 2026 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on Monday (IST).

The world No.49 put Djokovic’s latest quest for a 25th Major to bed after a hard-fought five-set win 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 against the former World No.1. The Argentine 25-year-old, who has Djokovic as one of his idol, stated that “it was a dream come true” for having faced the Serb great.

“It’s amazing. The way we played, five sets against the GOAT,” Navone said, as quoted by ATP. “I’m very happy. I don’t know, what can I say?”

“It’s unbelievable. It means a lot to me,” Navone said of facing Djokovic for the first time. “It’s a dream come true, I mean seriously, 100 per cent. Now I have to recover. I think it’s almost 12 o’clock, so we have to go to sleep.”

His health condition hampered Djokovic as he threw up multiple times in the middle of the match. He lost the first set in a tie-break before mounting a comeback in the second and the third, as he vomited in the third.

The Serb also apparently seemed to be cramping as he fell behind in the fourth set and was blown away in the fifth. Djokovic was down in tears as he watched his quest for the 25th Major vanish at Flushing Meadows, where he has four titles.

This was also the first time that Djokovic has lost in the first round of a Major since 2006. Also, this marks the first instance of none of the Big 3 being in the second week of a Major since 2003.

“I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me. It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year. Vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there. Then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain,” Djokovic said after the loss, as quoted by ATP.

“Yeah, the back just gave up in the end and shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out,” he added.

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–IANS

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