Should Novak Djokovic call it a day?

Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat in the first round of the 2026 US Open, losing in five sets to unseeded Uruguayan player Mariano Navone 6–7, 7–5, 6–4, 2–6, 1–6.

In a gruelling five-setter, Djokovic was hampered by back and shoulder issues throughout the match and even vomited midway through. The 39-year-old Serbian was visibly upset during the final set as his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title went up in smoke.

Incidentally, this was his first opening-round loss at the US Open in two decades and first Grand Slam opening-round loss since the 2006 Australian Open. Such has been Djokovic’s consistency and dominance at the Grand Slams over the past decade and a half that this has been received as a very shocking result, albeit an understandable one.

Firstly, Djokovic isn’t the same athlete anymore; age catches up with even the best eventually. Secondly, the US Open is the last Grand Slam of the year, and most players lose form and suffer from injury issues and fatigue by the time they arrive at this tournament. Moreover, Djokovic came into the North American hard-court swing without much practice on the hard courts, having skipped the National Bank Open in Canada and lost in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters. Lack of practice and loss of form since Wimbledon also contributed to this underwhelming result.

If we look at this year’s Slams, Djokovic was sensational at both the Australian Open, where he reached the final, and Wimbledon, where he reached the semis. However, at the other two Slams, where he had a realistic chance to clinch that 25th title, he failed miserably.

With Jannik Sinner ousted in the second round and Carlos Alcaraz absent due to injury at Roland-Garros, there was a great buzz among Djokovic fans, who felt he had as good an opportunity as he’d ever have for his elusive Slam title, but he exited the competition in the third round, losing to young João Fonseca in five sets.

Here at the US Open, he was again believed to have a great chance, with Sinner absent, Alcaraz returning from a four-month injury lay-off, and Alexander Zverev not in the best of form. Yet again, Djokovic failed to capitalise on the advantage and ended up getting knocked out in the first round itself.

The Serb’s recent performances will again reignite speculation regarding his retirement. Although he has stated several times that he would like to continue until the 2028 LA Olympics, the question will be asked again: why delay the inevitable?

His biggest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have long retired. He has nothing to prove anymore. However, he remains adamant that he still has one more Slam triumph in him if he can get the better of either or both Alcaraz and Sinner, who have dominated men’s tennis in recent years.

However, it’s not just those two anymore. Djokovic is now unable to compete even with young up-and-coming athletes, especially over five gruelling sets. Tennis requires a lot of endurance and stamina, especially on fast courts, and even when Djokovic is picking a few tournaments every season, he’s still not able to avoid fitness and injury issues. The younger generation is fitter, more agile, and more powerful. Djokovic doesn’t have the same consistency, fitness, and agility that he once had to even go through an entire competition, neither does he seem to have the fear factor.

In the last two seasons, Djokovic has only won two ATP Tour-level titles: the Geneva Open and the inaugural Hellenic Championship, both last year. This season, he’s yet to win a title. The disappointment of going out in the first round of the US Open will definitely hurt him, but if a player isn’t fully fit, no matter how good they are, they’ll find it difficult to compete, something we also saw in the case of a much younger and in-form Sinner at Roland-Garros this year.

Such performances and results can act as a massive downer and affect the confidence and mentality of any sportsperson, even a great one, who is undeniably struggling.

Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, and if he believes he is still capable of competing with the best and winning major titles, we should trust his judgement. I still believe that, as long as he keeps himself fit and wisely chooses his tournaments next year, he will have an outside chance of winning that 25th Grand Slam title, though all the stars will need to align in his favour.

While he shouldn’t let this US Open upset bother him too much, there is no doubt it would have got him thinking. That said, on the flip side, he has already shown this season that he still has plenty of fight left in him, as demonstrated by his win over world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals. 

Djokovic should hold on for a while more and not yet call it a day. A few of his performances this season have shown that, when he is fit, he can not only compete but also win against the top ten players. He has an unmatched wealth of experience, is still enjoying his tennis, and clearly remains motivated. The legendary Serb should give himself at least one more year, and maybe, just maybe, Djoker fans could be in for a pleasant surprise when he lifts that unprecedented 25th Slam trophy next year.