Long-standing 'Big Three' record ends after Novak Djokovic's first-round exit at 2026 US Open
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Djokovic lost to Mariano Navone in the first round
For over 20 years, you could count on one thing at every Grand Slam, and that was that at least one of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic would still be alive in the second round. That run has finally come to an end at the 2026 US Open.
Djokovic, the last of the three still playing, went out in the first round on Monday, beaten by Argentina’s Mariano Navone in a five-set war.
He actually had the match in his grip for a while, winning the second and third sets, but four hours and thirty-six minutes later, his legs gave out and Navone finished it off 7-6, 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
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It’s hard to wrap your head around when you look at what these three have done over the years. Federer won five US Open titles in a row from 2004 to 2008 and barely missed a semi-final anywhere for a decade straight. Nadal’s numbers are just as absurd, especially at Roland Garros, where he has won the title 14 times.
A run that goes back to 2003
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To find the last Grand Slam second round without one of these three names in it, you have to go back to Roland Garros 2003.
Djokovic hadn’t even played his first main draw match yet, and Federer and Nadal were still years away from turning into the players everyone remembers today.
Related: Novak Djokovic falls out of elite company he hasn’t left since 2018
Between 2003 and 2023, the three of them won 66 Grand Slam titles between them.
Federer and Nadal are already retired, and now Djokovic is out early in New York too. So, this really is the moment. The players people grew up watching, the ones who made this stretch of tennis feel almost unfair, are no longer around at this stage of a major.
When defeated Novak Djokovic in the first round of 2026 US Open?
Djokovic was eliminated in the first round by Argentina’s Mariano Navone, losing a five-set battle that lasted 4 hours and 36 minutes, with Navone winning 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
What long-standing record came to an end with Novak Djokovic’s first-round exit at 2026 US Open?
Djokovic’s first-round exit means this is the first time a Grand Slam event won’t have either Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal in the second round.
When was the last time that the ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis didn’t feature in the second round of a Grand Slam?
You have to go back to Roland Garros 2003 to find the last Grand Slam second-round without at least one of the three in it. At that point, Djokovic hadn’t even made his Grand Slam main draw debut yet.
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