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Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz said Novak Djokovic's shock first-round exit at the US Open was surprising but insisted he is focused on taking his title defence one match at a time, according to the ATP Website.
Djokovic suffered a five-set defeat to Mariano Navone in a marathon battle that lasted over four hours, marking his first opening-round loss at a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was drawn in Alcaraz's half of the draw, meaning the Spaniard could have faced Djokovic in the semi-finals. However, Djokovic's early exit has now opened up Alcaraz's path in the tournament. Speaking after his straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin, Alcaraz admitted he was surprised to see Djokovic exit so early. "I saw the fifth set. Obviously it was the first time that Novak lost in the first round here in this tournament, so it's a big surprise. Someone like Novak going out in the first round, it's surprising," Alcaraz said, as quoted by the ATP website. However, the defending champion said he was not looking too far ahead and stressed the difficulty of progressing through every round of a Grand Slam. "But every Grand Slam is really difficult to get through every round, every player. It's really tough. You have to earn the win [from] the first ball until the last one," he said. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was defeated 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 by Navone in a marathon clash at Arthur Ashe Stadium, ending his campaign in the opening round. The first-round loss also ended Djokovic's long-standing record of advancing past the opening round of a major since the 2006 Australian Open, according to the ATP Website. The defeat ended Djokovic's hopes of chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title at this year's US Open. Meanwhile, the defending champion made an impressive return to competitive tennis at the 2026 US Open, defeating Roman Safiullin in straight sets to advance in the men's singles draw. The Spaniard, playing his first singles match in more than four months, overcame Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a confident display at Flushing Meadows despite missing the French Open and Wimbledon since April after suffering a wrist injury. (ANI)
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