Novak Djokovic’s 2026 US Open began in the worst possible way, as he was beaten in the first round in New York for the first time in his career. The result also triggers a significant slide in the ATP Rankings.

With Jannik Sinner sidelined at Flushing Meadows because of a knee problem and Carlos Alcaraz still recovering from a wrist injury, Djokovic had been viewed by some as a leading contender for the season-ending major. Seeded fourth, he also appeared to have a workable section of the draw, with 16th seed Brandon Nakashima the highest-ranked player in his part of the bracket and a possible quarter-final meeting with seventh seed Daniil Medvedev or 11th seed Frances Tiafoe.

Few expected Mariano Navone to create serious trouble in the opening round. The Argentine was only making his third US Open appearance and had won just once at the event before this match.

Yet Navone pushed Djokovic early, taking the first set before the former world No 1 responded by winning the next two. Djokovic then seemed positioned to close it out after moving 2-1 ahead in the fourth set and earning an early break. But the world No 49 seized control from there, aided by Djokovic’s illness and lower back problem, and finished strongly by taking 11 of the last 12 games to complete a 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Navone will next face either Matteo Berrettini or Stan Wawrinka, while Djokovic heads home.

The defeat carries a major ranking cost. Djokovic reached the semi-final at Flushing Meadows 12 months ago, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 match that earned him 800 points. This year, a first-round exit is worth only 10 points, leaving him to drop 790 points overall.

He began the tournament at No 5 in the official rankings with 3,770 points, but has fallen six places to No 11 in the Live ATP Rankings, his lowest position in eight years, having last gone as low as No 21 in July 2018.

Prize money is unlikely to be a concern in the immediate aftermath, though Djokovic will still collect $140,000 for his first-round exit. His career earnings stand at $194,691,590, including $3,017,725 already earned in 2026.

Jannik Sinner’s surprise withdrawal from the 2026 US Open has been linked to a knee problem that has kept him off court since Wimbledon.

The world No 1 has not competed since beating Alexander Zverev in four sets to win the Wimbledon final last month. After later missing the Canadian Open, Sinner said a right knee issue had been “bothering” him when he announced he would also skip the Cincinnati Open.

Last week, he confirmed that the same problem would rule him out of New York, saying he needed additional time before returning.

“Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year,” the 25-year-old wrote.

“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.

“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart.”

A report from Sky Sport Italy has now given a clearer picture of the problem, describing it as “extra-articular tendon inflammation” in Sinner’s right knee. The report added that it is “the least serious type” of knee tendon inflammation and said it is mainly treated through rest and physical therapy.

The same report noted that attempting to play the US Open would not have been the right call. “Trying to play wouldn’t have been impossible, but it was certainly not advisable considering the rest of the season and especially the future,” it stated.

Sky Sport Italy also said a return for Beijing and Shanghai is “the primary option on the table” for the five-time major winner.

Sinner is the reigning China Open champion, and the 2026 Beijing ATP 500 begins on 30 September, giving him more time to recover. He has continued treatment at JMedical in Turin this week.

Daniil Medvedev believes Carlos Alcaraz’s return to competitive tennis will be more demanding on his body than on the wrist that has kept him out of action.

Alcaraz is set to face Roman Safiullin in the first round, marking his first competitive singles match since April. That inevitably puts the spotlight on the wrist issue that has delayed his comeback, but Medvedev suggested the longer format of a grand slam may be the greater challenge.

“Of course we don’t know the details, right? The injury that he had, but I think if he’s here and he will try to play, it means that he and his team are confident that the injury is not gonna get worsened,” he said.

Medvedev added that the body-wide demands of a best-of-five match could matter more than the wrist itself.

“Because, in my opinion, whatever happened to his wrist, I don’t know exactly, it doesn’t matter if he would play three or five sets, because if it’s not completely healed, he would play seven-six in the third and probably is gonna hurt.

“And I don’t think two extra sets will have a big toll on his body for sure because he didn’t play for a long time, like on the legs, glutes, and stuff like this. But probably on his wrist, not really, because if that’s something that has healed, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.

“But it’s more, as I say, for the whole body as itself. If he has a tough match, it could be interesting. To see how he copes. We should not forget that if he has pain, he could retire any moment.

“So I think it’s really nice for me to see him here to play. If I’m going to have the chance, definitely going to watch his match. He’s playing my friend Roman as well, so it’s going to be interesting for me. And I wish that he doesn’t feel any pain and plays freely.”

Alcaraz said the decision to return was not straightforward. “My team and me, [we] believe that I’m ready. It wasn’t an easy decision,” Alcaraz said. “I just did whatever it took to be ready. I just tried to do everything perfect on and off the court, to feel ready, really long practices, really intense practices- just to see how my wrist is going to react during the practices and after [those] really long days.”