We’ve all heard that our bodies are a temple, but Novak Djokovic believes in that maxim more than most. He treats his with holy reverence.Straight out of bed every morning, Djokovic has said that he hydrates his sanctuary with warm lemon water that he thinks, incredulously, might have been converted into healing water by his own energy. He honors his shrine by wearing a secret green disc, engineered by a doctor in Serbia, that emits an electromagnetic force field. By nighttime, he blesses his dwelling with a pair of magnesium capsules, from a supplement brand of his own creation, of course.He’s fiercely protective and keeps his altar pure from gluten, dairy, refined sugar, sourdough bread, red meat, cups of coffee, and any vaccine that was created to limit the spread of a deadly and global pandemic. This obsession, strange as it might be, has made Djokovic one of the greatest players who has ever picked up a tennis racket.However, Sunday night at the U.S. Open, Djokovic’s cherished and sacred temple looked like a regular old body.Fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium watched a stunner as Djokovic lost in the opening round to a player who, years ago, might have posed an inferior challenge to the 39-year-old legend who has been compared to Gumby. Flexible, shape-shifting, and most of all, unbreakable. During the five sets of sadness, however, Djokovic bowed.Can Djokovic take much more of this?He stumbled. He cramped. He battled the humidity by rubbing ice packs on his head. He popped pills to combat the pain. He vomited lime green liquid. Then near the end, appearing fragile and fractured, he simply cried.Over the decades, Djokovic has been vigilant in safeguarding his bodily autonomy. Then one night in New York City, with the tennis world watching, his temple betrayed him — publicly and without a doubt. Never before has Djokovic appeared so human and frail. Perhaps never before has he engendered such empathy.Djokovic might be considered the greatest ever by the crowd that counts statistics and ranks his record 24 Grand Slam victories over the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Even so, he hasn’t won over every heart. He’s been booed around the world: from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, to Flushing Meadows in Queens, to Stade Roland Garros in Paris, and even at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, where he’s performed at his peak in winning 10 Australian Open championships.The reasoning behind the jeers is varied, and the truth remains only in the hearts of those hecklers. However, over the years, Djokovic, in his self-absorbed pursuit of bodily perfection, has done plenty to tarnish his standing among mere mortals.Djokovic has used his platform to evangelize superstition as science. In 2023, he won the French Open while wearing on his chest something called the TaoPatch, which allegedly “transforms body heat into therapeutic light.” (Poppycock, say medical reviews). Years earlier, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Djokovic doubled down on a claim he made in his book “Serve To Win”: Water molecules can react to a human being’s emotions, and that anyone, just with their positive vibes, can purify toxic water. (Baloney, says anybody with a functioning brain).It happened during that time, at the height of the pandemic, when Djokovic became the worst kind of health influencer. Someone who decided to treat the deadly coronavirus like it was the common cold, and host tennis matches in front of packed stadiums. In Djokovic’s four-city Adria Tour, there was no social distancing, and so naturally, the events turned into superspreaders, where he, his wife, three other ATP-ranked players and several support staffers all tested positive. In 2022, Djokovic was refused entry into the draw of his beloved Australian Open, losing a legal challenge after government officials in Australia said he posed a public health risk by being unvaccinated.Djokovic later made it clear that he had refused the vaccine and would continue to do so. It seemed Djokovic wanted no part of the rules set for every other player, tourist and citizen allowed into Australia at that time.As though Djokovic and his temple were above mandates created for the public good. As if his convictions that made him a martyr for the anti-vaxxing crowd superseded any shallow quests for more championships.“That is the price that I’m willing to pay,” Djokovic said in an interview with the BBC. “… because the principles of decision-making on my body are more important than any title or anything else. I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can.”So that year, Djokovic, still only a few months removed from his No. 1 world ranking, did not compete in either the Australian Open or the U.S. Open. He was obstinate yet still very, very good, and amassed five other titles that year and nearly $10 million in prize money.Through sheer greatness, Djokovic has outlived the headlines from 2022. His prowess on the court has trained the spotlight back on tennis. He’s since won another title Down Under, collaborated with Prime Video on a documentary, “The Wolf in Winter,” in which he says he’s not anti-vax, and has the appetite to share more in a potential reality TV series, as well as a forthcoming book that explains the secrets to his longevity.Djokovic believes there is more inside of him to keep on, even for a 25th career Grand Slam. So it is with great irony that he, a man so protective of what he puts inside of himself, could only watch as his body revolted.Novak Djokovic receives treatment from Clay Sniteman during Sunday night’s match against Mariano Navone. (Julian Finney / Getty Images)Djokovic has said he has suffered from a chronic illness for the past couple of years. Compound that with the pressure he said he feels to win No. 25. It also shouldn’t be lost on anyone that, while still at the height of his powers, Djokovic missed two Grand Slams where he could’ve conceivably won. Now, however, he’s older and struggling and crashing out early at places like the Cincinnati Open.“It was not an enjoyable match for me, for sure,” he said a few weeks back.Then Djokovic wilted even further, leaving the U.S. Open after only one night for the first time in his career.“An awful feeling on the court for me,” he said Sunday night after losing, 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to Mariano Navone.The emotions he displayed in the fifth set could’ve been for a myriad of reasons. Maybe his physical pain was that debilitating. Or maybe he was overwhelmed by all the love, applause and loud cheers from the Queens crowd. Maybe he realized then and there something that frightened him. That his body is breaking and no electromagnetic field on this earth or anywhere else can fix it.Djokovic didn’t need to explain or even know why he cried that night. Neither do we. All that should be known is that he’s just like anyone else: devastated, struggling with emotions of fear and confusion, and reminded of his mortality. He’s still just human.The greats like Djokovic never want to admit defeat, but during his 20th U.S. Open appearance, he didn’t need to speak a word. His body conceded for him.