Djokovic and Venus Williams both crash out in a wild US Open opening night

[PixelBarrel]

Novak Djokovic suffered his first ever US Open first round exit on August 31st, losing 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to world number 49 Mariano Navone of Argentina in a match that lasted four hours and 36 minutes. It marked the 24 time Grand Slam champion's earliest exit at a major in 20 years, ending a run in which he'd previously gone 19-0 in US Open first round matches and hadn't lost an opening round at any major since the 2006 Australian Open. Asked about the streak ending, Djokovic said it was a good record but that he wasn't really thinking about it, adding he's proud of his past achievements but now is now

The marathon match pushed the night session dramatically behind schedule, meaning 46 year old wildcard Venus Williams didn't take the court against Sofia Kenin until just after midnight. Williams lost in straight sets 2-6, 6-7(6), with the match not wrapping up until 2:01 AM, the latest finish to a first round match in US Open history. Williams later criticized the scheduling directly, saying it was extremely late, that she'd never played a match that late before, and that there was clearly room for improvement in how the tournament handles situations like that

Tournament officials had reportedly considered moving Williams' match to Louis Armstrong Stadium once the delay became apparent, but both players opted to wait it out and stay on Arthur Ashe instead. It was Williams' 14th consecutive singles loss and her 96th career Grand Slam appearance, though she remains in the doubles draw alongside her sister Serena. Curious what people think tournaments should actually do in situations like this, force a venue change to keep things on schedule, or let players decide for themselves even if it means matches finishing near 2 AM

Novak Djokovic knocked out of U.S. Open in the 1st roundwww.pbs.org