NEW YORK — The tennis futures of Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams are in question after both fell on the first day of the US Open main draw Sunday.
Djokovic, ranked No. 5 in the world, had the more surprising loss of the two, falling to world No. 49 Mariano Navone in a five-set marathon at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s first time losing in the first round at the US Open, a tournament he’s won four times.
But he looked visibly ill throughout the match, vomiting several times and appearing to use an inhaler during breaks. The 39-year-old said after the match that he’s been dealing with health issues “pretty much every match this year.”
At the Cincinnati Open two weeks ago, Djokovic also lost in the first round, and also blamed health issues. He said then the issues are aggravated by heat and humidity, but Sunday’s match was mostly played under Arthur Ashe’s closed roof due to rainfall in Queens.
Asked whether he believes the issue can be fixed, Djokovic gave a rather defeated answer: “I don’t know. I’m trying, man. I’m trying. Let’s see.”
