It was his first round-one exit at a Grand Slam in 20 years, and his first ever at Flushing Meadows. About a month ago, Novak Djokovic left New York in tears. The manner of the defeat, with Djokovic gasping for breath amid health concerns, raised questions in tennis about how soon he would retire. It felt like the end was near. Questions also grew over whether his LA Olympics swansong was realistic, with some urging him to put his health first.
Over the last seven days in Beijing, he beat reigning US Open champion Alexander Zverev , outlasted Daniil Medvedev and reached the final. Today, he will face Alex de Minaur for a chance to win his first title since the Hellenic Championship in Athens on November 8, 2025. Against Medvedev, the health concerns troubled him again, he was often seen catching breath between points, which the Russian appeared to mock, and yet he showed the caliber that won him 24 Slams. He saved 16 of 18 break points and led 7-5, 5-3 when Medvedev was defaulted. He is now 33-0 in Beijing, and into his seventh final at the ATP 500 tournament.
The former US Open winner had, in fact, said ahead of the face-off that Djokovic was “crazy” because he’s old and still plays so well.
At one point, he even thought of quitting mid-match, before he launched a comeback, but eventually gave in in the final set. The signs were there to see, in Cincinnati, where he incurred the same health issue. But on Arthur Ashe, Djokovic did not look like himself. He vomited, cramped, felt his back and shoulder give out, and could barely move. The debate that followed was sharp.
The Serb crashed to his low in round one against Mariano Navone, 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, in four hours and 36 minutes, at the US Open.
“It’s something that I have been carrying pretty much every match this year,” he said of the vomiting. Tim Henman said he definitely shouldn’t stop now. Marion Bartoli found it heartbreaking to watch and said his health should come first.
“It’s not stamina. It’s something else. “I don’t want to be revealing what it is, but I’m trying to get to the bottom of it with my team. He added that some days his methods work and some days they don’t.
But when pitted against a man he called “probably the best player in the world at the moment,” he stepped up and beat Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, a result he rated among his two best matches of the year, alongside the Sinner win in Melbourne. More related to health,” he said in Beijing.
