The scoreboard did not yet indicate that anything was awry, but even as Novak Djokovic led by a set in his opening match at the Cincinnati Open, he was already struggling badly.
From the second set onwards, he spent much of his time between points squatting and bending over as he desperately tried to catch his breath in the notorious Ohioan humidity. He was eventually dispatched 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Thiago Agustín Tirante of Argentina, who took this golden opportunity to register the biggest win of his career.
After over a decade of dominating his sport regardless of terrain, early losses for Djokovic at the non-slam events have become increasingly familiar. The 39-year-old has long insisted that, at such an advanced age, the grand slam tournaments and Olympics are his priority. His results have reflected this reality.
While Djokovic opened the year by reaching the final at Roland Garros and he returned to the semi-final of Wimbledon last month, this was just his third non-grand slam tournament of the season. He has failed to reach the quarter-finals in any of those tournaments, compiling a 2-3 record across his appearances at Indian Wells, Rome and Cincinnati.
Early on, Djokovic seemed to be well on his way to a straightforward win as he rolled through the opening set without issue. However, he began to wilt in the humidity from early in the second set. He called for the physio and doctor while leading 6-2, 2-1, where he vomited into a towel before having his blood pressure checked. He continued to move at half-speed for most of the match. “It was not an enjoyable match for me, for sure, the way I felt,” Djokovic said. “Not the first, I guess, not the last time, but it is what it is.”
While Djokovic crumbled, Tirante remained strong throughout. The 25-year-old Argentinian is one of the biggest servers in the world, and he used his serve and potent forehand well to force an already uncomfortable Djokovic behind the baseline before closing out a victory. Incredibly, the world number 50 now holds a 4-1 record against top 10 opponents.
After his defeat, Djokovic walked directly from the court to his media conference, where he briefly explained his struggles with humidity: “It’s just the condition that I have health-wise,” he said. “It’s been bothering me for the last couple of years. And a lot of issues, especially when it’s humid and hot. Yeah.”
Djokovic said had anticipated a difficult day but tension and pressure of matchplay had naturally made things worse: “Yeah, I did, but, it is all these things … nerves and everything involved makes it worse. So that’s what happened.”
Asked if he believes he will return to Cincinnati in the future, Djokovic responded: “I certainly hope so, but it looks more likely not, unfortunately. But let’s see what the future brings.”
Djokovic’s preparation for this tournament had been preceded by a promotional tour for his upcoming Amazon Prime documentary, with the Serb spending time in the United States during the World Cup before setting his sights on the final weeks of the North American hard court swing.
He explained before the tournament that he had decided to compete in Cincinnati in order to give himself some matches ahead of the US Open. Instead, he again faces the challenge of finding his feet quickly in New York as he attempts to continue his excellent results at the grand slam tournaments, where he has reached the semi-final or better in six of his last seven appearances.