RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Welcome to the U.S. Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.
On Day 1, what it’s like inside the mind of an underdog, a rude awakening for a young champion and smooth sailing for Americans.
How did an underdog keep his cool in the biggest match of his life?
Across four hours and 36 minutes Sunday night at the U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic mustered just about every emotion and physical reaction there is.
24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, 39, vomited, stumbled, winced, groaned, roared, stared and, movingly, wept his way through a five-set loss to Mariano Navone, his first defeat in the first round of a major since 2006.
On the other side of the net, Navone, the 25-year-old from Argentina, was trying to take a very different approach.
“For me, the mental part, I think it was the best one. I was two sets to one down, and then a break down also in the fourth, but in that moment, I feel it, you know? My game was better from there,” Navone said in a news conference.
That doesn’t mean Navone didn’t boil over once. He showed vivid frustration with himself when he missed second-serve returns, especially when he felt he was giving Djokovic too much space to mount a victory that looked increasingly unlikely just as the 39-year-old got close to it.
“I understood he wasn’t feeling very good. So it’s tough to play against him like this, because you know you have many chances to win against him,” Navone said.
“it’s Novak. He’s the GOAT. He always found the key for beat someone.”
Not this time. Navone, like the rest of the tennis world, had seen Djokovic win countless matches when physically compromised or appearing on the edge of oblivion. Navone knew that he had to be the one to push Djokovic over, and he did it by staying inside his head, as Djokovic showed the world everything that was going on in his.
“I think my side — my best thing I did, it was thinking about my side, about my coach, about the strategy every time, the thing I had to do,” he said. EIther Stan Wawrinka, another former U.S. Open champion, or Matteo Berrettini awaits Navone in the second round.
— James Hansen
Other notable results on Day 1:
Jessica Pegula (3) of the U.S. started her pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam — and the world No. 1 ranking — with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
2021 champion Daniil Medvedev (7) avoided a repeat of 2025’s opening-match meltdown against a French player. He dispatched Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
Kamilla Rakhimova, born in Russia but now representing Uzbekistan, stunned two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejčíková (27) of the Czech Republic 7-6(4), 6-2.
Another American, Tommy Paul (27), recovered from a sloppy loss of the first set to defeat Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong (Q) 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
How did a boys’ champion get a taste of life on the tour?
The tradition of giving a main-draw wild card to the winner of the U.S. National boys’ championship, otherwise known as Kalamazoo, can occasionally create some mismatches.
Something like that unfolded Sunday, where Long Island’s Jack Kennedy, an 18-year-old planning to attend the University of Virginia, went up against Lloyd Harris of South Africa. Harris is a big serving 29-year-old veteran, who knows his way around a first round at a Grand Slam.
Harris is also a lanky 6-foot-4. Kennedy is a slight 5-foot-7. The end result was 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win for Harris, who survived the qualifying tournament and now has a four-match win streak.
Kennedy knows he’s got his work cut out for him to make it as a pro eventually. There are not a lot of 5-foot-7 inch guys in the top 100. Yes, the recently retired Diego Schwartzman, who made the top 10 at that same height, is an inspiration. Schwartzman was crazy quick and could torture opponents with his agility and anticipation, as well as a lethal forehand.
“I’ve got to run a lot,” Kennedy said in an interview last week.
He’s giving himself time to develop by attending UVA, though he won’t start until January. The win in Kalamazoo that earned the U.S. Open wild card came with a payday of $140,000.
He will also get a series of wild cards into Challenger Tour events that could produce thousands more in income. An NCAA rule change earlier this year, part of a settlement of a lawsuit over college players and prize money, will allow him to keep all that money because he is not enrolling until the winter.
Kennedy said being able to keep the money wasn’t the main factor in deferring enrollment, but it did factor into the decision. He’s heading to a pretty good spot for tennis development. Virginia has won the last two NCAA team championships. Last fall the Cavaliers featured a hot recruit from Spain – Rafael Jódar, now the world No. 13.
— Matt Futterman
Drop Shots
🤕 Cramps, underarm serves, arguments with trainers and a bizarre scene that cut to the heart of one of tennis’ thorniest rules.
🌧️ How a rain delay and a roof failure delayed a match — and led to a lot of Honey Deuce sales.
🥹 How the emotions of tennis were heightened as players fought through qualifying.
🙏 Roger Federer’s tennis disciples met him in the garden of American tennis ahead of his induction into the Hall of Fame.
Up next: First round continues
All times in ET
🎾 Men’s singles: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Arthur Fils (10) 11 a.m. on ESPN Unlimited
Fresh off winning the biggest title of his career at the Cincinnati Open, it feels like 22-year-old Arthur Fils is on the cusp of having his breakthrough Grand Slam. He has one of the heavier forehands on tour, plays fearlessly and likes to involve the crowd — three things that should make folks happy in New York. Stefanos Tsitsipas was in his spot once, as the exciting up-and-coming player on tour, but those days are over, and not just because he’s now 28. The two-time major finalist hasn’t made it past the second round at a Gran...
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