Novak Djokovic Wiped Out by the Heat: Collapses on the Court and Suffers a Stunning Defeat. This Hasn’t Happened in 20 Years

The heat is also taking its toll at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, and among those affected is former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The Serbian tennis player, who had hoped to use the tournament in Ohio to regain his rhythm and get into top form ahead of the U.S. Open, suffered a stunning three-set defeat in his opening match against 25-year-old Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante after feeling ill on the court.

The Belgrade star lost 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to the world No. 50, who capitalized on his opponent’s illness during the second set of the match. Djokovic had handled the first set without any particular problems, but then began to suffer from various physical difficulties due to the weather conditions. Nole called for a medical timeout during which he vomited into a towel; he then visibly struggled through the remaining two sets, often ending up on his knees on the court. For the first time since 2006, the 24-time Grand Slam champion lost to an opponent outside the top 30 in Cincinnati.

“It certainly wasn’t a pleasant match for me. Given how I was feeling. It’s not the first time, and I imagine it won’t be the last either, but that’s just how it is,” Djokovic said after the match. “It’s simply a health condition I have that’s been giving me trouble for a couple of years and causes me a lot of problems, especially when it’s humid and hot. Then there are a number of factors, like nerves, that make things worse.”

Tirante is obviously over the moon: “I think this is the most important victory of my career. I think I played really well on the court. I managed the pressure of playing against a legend like Novak very well. Now I feel relieved, because it’s all very stressful when you can’t break serve. I had so many break points, but I couldn’t convert them, and that was the key.”