Novak Djokovic has revealed he is battling a health ‘condition’ after concerning scenes during his shock defeat at the Cincinnati Open.
The 39-year-old sparked fears over his wellbeing after appearing to struggle badly in the hot and humid conditions during his 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante on Saturday.
Djokovic was seen dropping to his knees during the gruelling contest, which lasted two hours and 44 minutes, as the tennis icon’s physical condition became a major talking point.
And the 24-time Grand Slam champion subsequently disclosed that he has been dealing with an unspecified issue for several years.
“It’s just a condition that I have, health-wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years,” Djokovic admitted.
“A lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot.
“I did anticipate it [would be humid], but there are all these things, like nerves and everything involved that make it worse, and that’s what happened.”
Djokovic did not provide further details about the nature of the condition.
Novak Djokovic has revealed he is battling a health ‘condition’ after concerning scenes during his shock defeat at the Cincinnati Open
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His difficulties contributed to a major upset against Tirante, with the Serbian surrendering his 10-match winning streak in Cincinnati despite comfortably taking the opening set.
Djokovic was returning to competitive action for the first time since losing to world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
He managed to save 13 of the 15 break points he faced but was eventually punished in the deciding set.
Tirante, ranked No 50 in the world, secured the crucial break in the ninth game before holding his nerve to serve out the biggest victory of his career.
Novak Djokovic falls to his knees during his R2 match in Cincinnati.
During the changeover, Novak appeared to be vomiting before receiving a medical timeout. #cincytennis pic.twitter.com/hHwxVQY5BB
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 15, 2026
“I think this is the best win of my career,” the 25-year-old said.
“I think I really did a good job inside the court. I managed very well the nerves of playing against a legend like Novak.”
The result was particularly surprising given Djokovic’s impressive history at the tournament.
He has won the Cincinnati title three times, triumphing in 2018, 2020 and 2023, while boasting a 45-13 career record at the event.
However, Djokovic cast doubt over whether supporters will see him compete there again.
Asked about returning in the future, he said: “I certainly hope so, but it looks more likely not, unfortunately.
Thiago Agustin Tirante celebrates his win over Novak Djokovic
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“But let’s see what the future brings.”
Djokovic must now turn his attention towards the US Open, which begins in New York on August 30.
Elsewhere in Cincinnati, Alexander Zverev avoided a third consecutive defeat by recovering from a set down to beat Britain’s Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a rain-delayed encounter that finished at 2.15am.
Jessica Pegula also progressed with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Simona Waltert.
