Ailing Djokovic stunned in US Open first round by Navone

NEW YORK, Aug 30 : Novak Djokovic made his earliest exit at the U.S. Open after a shock 7-6(5) 5-7 4-6 6-2 6-1 loss to unseeded Argentine Mariano Navone in a gruelling first-round clash on Sunday, as his latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title went up in smoke.

The 39-year-old vomited midway through the match and was hampered by back and shoulder issues that affected his serve towards the end.

It marked the first time the Serb had lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam since the Australian Open in 2006.

"It was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me," said Djokovic, who was in tears at the end of the match.

"It's something that I've been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year. Vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there. Then my whole body starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain.

"Yeah, the back just gave up in the end, and shoulder. I couldn't close it out. I was a break up in the fourth, but just struggled all the way since the fourth game of the match. Again, I don't want to take too much out of his win.

"Congratulations to him. He's a nice guy, a fighter. But I didn't enjoy myself."

Navone revelled in the biggest win of his career and was stunned to have beaten a player he considers the greatest of all time (GOAT).

"Five sets, against the GOAT, it's not something you do every day. I'm very happy," Navone said on court.

"It means a lot to me. It's a dream come true. Now I have to recover. It's almost 12 a.m. We have to go to sleep."

He later told ESPN he was still trying to come to terms with what he had achieved.

"It'll take a while for the adrenaline to settle down," Navone added. "I've only just picked up my phone and it won't stop ringing.

"I imagine there must be quite