In the biggest upset of the 2026 US Open so far, Novak Djokovic suffered a first-round loss to Mariano Navone after battling physical ailments throughout the tough encounter.
Following an impressive start to his own campaign, Carlos Alcaraz shared his candid thoughts on the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s unexpectedly early exit.
What Carlos Alcaraz Said About Novak Djokovic’s US Open Loss
Despite spending over four months on the sidelines with a wrist injury, Alcaraz produced a stellar performance in his first singles match back at the US Open. The Spaniard kicked off his title defense with a commanding 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Roman Safiullin in his opening match.
Alcaraz’s dominant outing stood in sharp contrast to Djokovic’s tournament opener. The Serb visibly struggled physically against Navone, vomiting and battling cramps on the court. As Djokovic’s woes continued, the Argentine capitalized by claiming a 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory and handed the former world No. 1 his first-ever first-round loss at the US Open.
During his post-match press conference, Alcaraz revealed that he stayed up to watch the final set of Djokovic’s match, highlighting how surprising it was to see the 24-time Grand Slam champion lose so early in the tournament.
“I saw the fifth set. Obviously it was the first time that Novak lost in the first round here in this tournament, so it’s a big surprise. Someone like Novak going out in the first round, it’s surprising,” Alcaraz said.
However, Alcaraz also pointed out the challenging nature of every match at a Grand Slam. He revealed that he had paid little mind to the possibility of facing Djokovic in the semifinals, choosing instead to take it one match at a time.
“But every Grand Slam is really difficult to get through every round, every player. It’s really tough. You have to earn the win [from] the first ball until the last one. He was in my part of the draw, but it was in the semi’s. For me, the semi’s are too far away, so I just try to go round by round,” he added.
Reflecting on his own tournament opener, the Spaniard opened up about feeling more nervous than usual but also expressed happiness at being back on the court.
“It was a difficult day for me. But at the same time, a really beautiful one. Starting the day I was really nervous, thinking, ‘I’m going to make it, I’m going to compete again.’ I had more nerves than usual, but just happy, because my goal here is to compete, to enjoy, and let’s see how my body’s going to react after the matches,” he said.
MORE: ‘Whole Body Starts To Collapse’ – Novak Djokovic Addresses Harsh Reality After US Open Upset
No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz will come up against Jaime Faria in the second round of the US Open, marking their first tour-level encounter. The winner of the match between James Duckworth and Wu Yibing will await Alcaraz in the third round if he advances past Faria.
