RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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MASON, OHIO - AUGUST 15: Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during a match against Thiago Agustín Tirante of Argentina on day five of the Cincinnati Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
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With just two weeks to go before he bids for a record 25th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open , tennis legend Novak Djokovic revealed he’s been “dealing with [a health issue] for many years now.”
The 24-time major champion got down on his knees on the court and later appeared to vomit into a towel during his 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Argentina’s Thiago Agustín Tirante in the Serb’s first match at the Cincinnati Open. The heat reached the mid-80s and the humidity was in the low-90s for the match.
“First and foremost, I congratulate my opponent today,” the 39-year-old Djokovic, who was playing his first match since losing to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals more than a month ago, told reporters.
“Honestly, it hasn’t been a pleasant match for me. That’s how I’ve felt. It hasn’t been the first time, and it won’t be the last. That’s just how it is.
“The conditions aren’t the problem. It’s because of a health issue I have. I’ve been dealing with it for many years now. It causes me a lot of problems, especially when there’s a lot of humidity and heat."
Djokovic, long known to go to great lengths to take care of his body, did not go into greater detail on the specifics of the issue.
Djokovic was asked if he thinks he’ll play Cincinnati again next year, and his response was telling.
“Unfortunately, at this point, it seems more likely that I won’t be back next year," he said. “But let's see what the future holds, I hope I do."
After winning the first set relatively easily, the Serb began to struggle in the second.
The Serb held in a brutal 18-minute third game game of the second set, saving four break points across nine deuces. But he bent over in the heat and even dropped to his hands and knees after one especially difficult point.
Djokovic called for a medical timeout and was visited by the physio and then a doctor. He took tablets and used ice packs on his head and neck during the break.
“Djoker looks like was struggling in 2nd set and was letting return games go,” Brad Gilbert wrote on X/Twitter.
The players went to the locker room after Tirante won the second set, and once they returned Djokovic appeared to be in better condition but he was eventually broken in the ninth game on a fourth break-point opportunity for Tirante that made it 4-5. The Argentine then closed out the match with ease on his serve.
For the 25-year-old Tirante, it was the latest dragon-slayer moment of his season. He beat Ben Shelton in April in Houston on clay and took down Taylor Fritz in the first round of the Canadian Open in Montreal.
MASON, OHIO - AUGUST 15: Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina celebrates his win against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day 5 of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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“I think this is the best win of my career,” Tirante said . “I think I really did a good job inside the court. I managed very well the nerves of playing against a legend like Novak. Now I feel relieved, because it is all so much pressure when you cannot break [serve]. I had so many points to break and I couldn’t, so that was the key, to keep believing in myself with my team and think about it after the match.
“Thinking about my family and my friends that are in Argentina watching me, they are really happy to watch me on TV… They are in Argentina, but they are in my head as well.”
With Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz having pulled out of Cincinnati, the tournament is now devoid of three superstars in the men’s draw.
MASON, OHIO - AUGUST 15: Alexander Zverev of Germany returns a shot during a match against Cameron Norrie of Great Britain on day five of the Cincinnati Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
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Top seed Alexander Zverev overcame a first-set loss to prevail over Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a two-hour, 35-minute contest.
In a match that began Saturday night but finished in the early hours of Sunday morning, Zverev earned his first win of his 2026 North American hard-court swing and avoided back-to-back opening-round losses at the ATP Masters 1000 level. The win also extended Zverev’s record to 8-0 in his head-to-head against Norrie.
Zverev, the current No. 2 in the ATP Live Rankings, remains the favorite to win his second title after hoisting the trophy in 2021.
As for Djokovic, he now has two weeks to regroup before the start of the U.S. Open on Aug. 30. Djokovic won his last major at the 2023 U.S. Open, and it’s always possible this will be his last appearance at the New York City major.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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