Since then he’s had 12 chances to break the record he shares with Australian Margaret Court, reaching two finals and half a dozen other semi-finals.
He’d been tantalisingly close this year, beating Jannik Sinner on the way to the Australian Open final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
He reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon, but Djokovic said he’s battled his body throughout 2026.
“It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year,” he said. “You know, vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there.
“Then my whole body, you know, starts to collapse, basically cramping and pain. Yeah, the back just gave up in the end and shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out, you know?”
Djokovic said at Wimbledon he wanted to play the grass court classic “at least one more time”.
He turned back the clock there with an epic win over third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the longest Wimbledon quarter-final ever before falling to Sinner in straight sets.
But Djokovic has shown little of his vintage brilliance in his abbreviated US hardcourt season.
He was sick and slow in an opening loss in Cincinnati, saying the early exit had given him more time to “get my body and mind into the right state” for Flushing Meadows.
In his diminished physical state he still managed to rally from a set down to seize a two-sets-to-one lead against 49th-ranked Navone before it all became too much.
Navone, 25, was aware of the magnitude of the moment.
“I don’t know what can I say more because Novak is the GOAT in this sport. I beat him in US Open, Arthur Ashe, night session.
“I got up many times so early to see Novak in Australia, to see Novak in French Open, to see Novak in US open and going late before school … it means a lot.”
– AFP