Novak Djokovic suffered an early and punishing exit at the Cincinnati Open, losing 2-6 6-4 6-4 to Argentine world number 50 Thiago Tirante in the second round after a draining battle with heat and humidity.
The match was played in demanding conditions, and Djokovic, aged 39, clearly felt the toll. Midway through the second set he sank to his hands and knees, called for a medical timeout, and appeared to vomit twice. A physio and a doctor came onto court to help before both players left for the dressing rooms at the end of the set.
Djokovic had looked in control initially, taking the opening set with a single break. He then won a marathon third game of the second set that lasted 18 minutes, but from that point his energy faded badly in the heat and humidity.
The Serbian, who owns 24 Grand Slam singles titles and is currently ranked fifth in the world, was competing for the first time since his Wimbledon semi final defeat to Jannik Sinner in July. Djokovic has won the Cincinnati Open three times and had reached at least the last 32 at the event every year since his tournament debut in 2005, a streak that ended with this result.
After the long break between sets, the decisive moment came in the ninth game of the third set when Djokovic dropped serve. Tirante stayed composed and closed out the match to record the biggest victory of his career.
“This is the best win of my career,” Tirante said. “I managed the nerves of playing a legend like Novak. It was all so much pressure.”
The defeat marks a rare early exit for Djokovic in Cincinnati and ends his long run of reaching at least the last 32 at the tournament.
