Been There, Done That! Can Novak Djokovic Make A Last-Gasp Bid At The Elusive 25th Slam?

Last Updated:August 31, 2026, 3:56 PM IST

Novak Djokovic suffers first US Open 1st round exit in 20 years, raising questions about his physical struggles and a potential career slump.

Novak Djokovic is chasing an elusive 25th Grand Slam (Picture credit: AP)

24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic on Monday slumped to a five-set defeat to Argentina’s Mariano Navone in the opening round of the US Open, marking his first 1st round exit in 20 long years.

Djokovic looked a shadow of himself, as the brunt of the four-hour-long battle affected his body and he could barely pull himself through the five sets, not putting in almost any effort over the fourth and fifth sets, barely avoiding a withdrawal.

Djokovic admitted that he has been suffering from some physical issue that has affected him in every match this year, and he also doesn’t have a particular care for the same, as his body starts breaking down during long matches.

Has Djokovic been through a similar slump before?

Djokovic’s last Grand Slam win came at the 2023 US Open, which means he hasn’t won a single major over the past three years. That is extraordinary in his career, with his last long slump ranging from 2017 to mid-2018, when he ended it with the Wimbledon title.

Djokovic’s Longest Grand Slam Drought Ended with Wimbledon Glory in 2018

In January 2017, Djokovic defended his Doha title by beating world No. 1 Andy Murray. But his Australian Open campaign ended in the second round with a shock loss to world No. 117 Denis Istomin.

It was Djokovic’s earliest exit from a Grand Slam since 2008 and his first major defeat to a player ranked outside the top 100.

In February and March, Djokovic suffered consecutive losses to Nick Kyrgios, falling to the Aussie at the Mexican Open and Indian Wells Masters before reaching the semifinals.

In April, Djokovic progressed to the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he was defeated by David Goffin.

Djokovic then split with his coaching team in a bid to revive his form, reaching the Madrid semifinals before finishing runner-up at the Rome Masters.

Djokovic opened his grass-court season at the Eastbourne International, where he won the title by beating Gaël Monfils. It was his only tournament win without Vajda before the pair split again in 2022.

At Wimbledon, Djokovic retired from his quarterfinal against Tomáš Berdych because of an elbow injury. On July 26, he announced that he would sit out the US Open and miss the remainder of the season to focus on his recovery.

This brought an end to Djokovic’s streak of 51 successive Grand Slam appearances since making his debut in 2005. He finished 2017 as the world No. 12, his lowest ranking since 2006.

In January 2018, Djokovic won the Kooyong Classic exhibition event, beating Dominic Thiem. At the 2018 Australian Open, he progressed to the fourth round before losing to Chung Hyeon.

Djokovic underwent elbow surgery in late January. He returned to practice by early March and made his comeback at Indian Wells a week later, but lost in the second round to Taro Daniel.

After reuniting with Vajda in Monte Carlo, Djokovic defeated Dušan Lajović and Borna Ćorić before losing to Thiem. He then exited early in Barcelona but showed improvement in Madrid, defeating Kei Nishikori for his first top-20 victory in 10 months.

But Djokovic lost to Kyle Edmund in the second round.

Djokovic reached the Italian Open semifinals before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. Failing to defend his 2017 finalist points, he dropped to No. 22 in the rankings, falling outside the top 20 for the first time since October 2006.

Djokovic suffered a quarterfinal loss to unseeded Marco Cecchinato at the French Open. At Wimbledon, he overcame Nadal in a five-set semifinal played over two days, in what was then the second-longest semifinal in the tournament’s history.

Djokovic went on to beat Kevin Anderson in straight sets in the final, bagging his fourth Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam crown while returning to the top 10 in the rankings.

That was his longest streak without a Slam.

When was the last time Djokovic won a title on Tour?

It has been less than a year since the 39-year-old last won a title. He beat Lorenzo Musetti in three sets at the Hellenic Championships in November before he lost the Australian Open final against Carlos Alcaraz.

Not to say that there is no gas left in Djokovic’s tank. He is expected to feature at the Shanghai Masters in October, where he finished as a semifinalist last year.

Djokovic’s physical condition remains a concern, with long matches taking a toll. At Masters 1000 events, he could face the likes of Alcaraz, Sinner and Zverev, all younger and stronger.

By the 2027 Australian Open, Djokovic will be closer to 40. A Grand Slam victory from here would see him go past Ken Rosewall’s 55-year-old record as the oldest men’s singles Major champion.

Can Djokovic do it? In hindsight, he may be the only one capable of achieving it.

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