Novak knocked out in US Open

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Novak knocked out in US Open

Mon, Aug 31, 2026 ·

7 min read

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🎾 Novak bounced in New York

For the first time in 20 years, Novak Djokovic has been eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam. Is this the end?

Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports:

For so long, Djokovic has done things that 39-year old tennis players were not meant to do. On Monday night, that battle finally turned in the direction of time and mortality.

He lost 7-6, 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to Mariano Navone, not because he has lost any skills or desire, but because he has a body he can no longer tame on command.

A body that, on Monday night, was crouching to the ground after long points, stumbling into his chair during changeovers and was so generally unwell that on multiple occasions he went to the corner to vomit into his towel box.

And then, in the middle of the fifth game of the fifth set, when Djokovic knew it was lost, he stood behind the baseline and sobbed. "I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me," he said after the match. "Pretty much despised every moment I spent on court."

Battling his body:Sunday was the ultimate manifestation of what Djokovic called "a condition that I have, health-wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years" after a loss in Cincinnati a couple weeks ago where he looked similarly exhausted almost from the start.

What exactly is ailing the 24-time major champion? He hasn't said specifically, but whatever it is, it gets exacerbated by heat and humidity — not a great combination for a sport played mostly outdoors and in warm weather.

Asked Sunday night if this issue was something he could fix, his response was not reassuring. "I don't know," he said. "I'm trying, man. I'm trying. Let's see."

Streak snapped:Djokovic had won his previous 77 first-round matches at majors (longest streak in the Open Era) entering the day, and he was a perfect 19-0 in the first round at the US Open. No more.

End of an era:The last time none of the "Big Three" (Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal) were in the second round of a major was Roland Garros back in 2003 (!!!).

🏈 The return of Aaron Donald

After weeks of speculation, Aaron Donald is officially coming out of retirement to re-join the Rams on a one-year deal worth up to $30 million. He'll team up with the newly-acquired Myles Garrett, forming a dynamic duo of future Hall of Famers.

Two-headed monster:Donald and Garrett boast a combined 236.5 sacks, five DPOY Awards and 17 Pro Bowl selections. "You bring a guy in like Myles, a generational talent, and it's like, 'That can be fun,'" said Donald, whose arrival makes LA even bigger Super Bowl favorites (+500 odds).

Yes, but:While Sean McVay's squad is indeed loaded on both sides of the ball, it's a long road to a championship — and winning one will require these Rams to buck a daunting trend: Over the past 30 years, the preseason favorite has had title odds of +500 or better 20 times. All 20 of those teams failed to win the Super Bowl .

💯 Big Numbers

⛳️ $130.4 million

Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship by three strokes on Sunday, claiming a $10 million prize that vaulted him past Tiger Woods atop the PGA Tour's all-time earnings list . Scheffler — who as of January 2022 had not won a single PGA Tour event — has now earned $130.4 million.

Chasing the GOAT:Woods still laps Scheffler when it comes to wins (82 to 22) and majors (15 to 4). But the trend here is unmistakable, writes Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee: Scottie is entering all-time territory .

⚽️ 18 goals

A third straight MLS MVP award is looking increasingly likely for Lionel Messi, who scored four goals in Inter Miami's 7-1 thrashing of Montréal, giving him an MLS-best 18 goals on the season . He also added his 10th assist, one off the league lead.

Rewriting the record books:Messi needed just 72 MLS matches to record 20 multi-goal games. The next fastest to reach that milestone? Josef Martinez (100 matches), Robbie Keane (124), Bradley Wright-Phillips (149) and Landon Donovan (178).

🏒 $20.4 million

Cale Makar and the Avalanche have agreed to a historic eight-year, $163.2 million extension ($20.4 million average annual value) that makes the superstar defenseman the first NHL player to sign a deal exceeding $20 million in annual salary.

Hall of Fame trajectory:Makar, 27, is already Colorado's all-time leader among defensemen in goals (136), assists (371) and points (507). He's one of 14 players in history to win multiple Norris Trophies (best defenseman) and one of just two (Bobby Orr) to be a Norris Trophy finalist at least six times in his first seven seasons.

📸 Through the lens

🇺🇸 Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Curaçao beat Nevada, 11-2, on Sunday to win the country's second Little League World Series title (2004*) and cap a landmark sports year for the tiny island, which earlier this summer became the smallest country ( 185,000 population ) to ever play in the FIFA World Cup.

So close, again:Nevada became the first state to reach back-to-back LLWS finals since Georgia in 2006-07. While the Peach State came away with two championships, Nevada came away with none, losing to Taiwan in last year's title game before falling short again this weekend.

🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland

Was that Bill Belichick cracking a smile after North Carolina's 15-10 win over TCU to begin a season where everyone had already written his coaching obituary? It sure looked like it . More importantly, the Tar Heels finally looked like a Bill Belichick team.

More from Week 0:Virginia destroyed NC State , 34-8; North Dakota State rolled over Jacksonville State , 33-7, in their FBS debut; No. 14 USC and its core of young talent beat San José State, 42-26; Memphis hung on for a 27-21 win over UNLV in head coach Charles Huff's debut.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 London, England

Filip Hrgović (21-1, 16 KOs) pulled off one of the biggest shockers in recent boxing history on Saturday when he stopped an exhausted Moses Itauma (14-1, 12 KOs) in Round 9 to capture the vacant IBF heavyweight world title and become Croatia's first-ever heavyweight champion.

Halting the hype:Itauma, 21, was looking to become the second-youngest heavyweight champ in history after Mike Tyson, who achieved the feat in 1986 at age 20. The Brit was considered the natural successor to the heavyweight throne , but those plans were derailed by Hrgović and his iron chin.

*That 2004 Curaçao squad featured two future big leaguers in Jurickson Profar (currently on the Braves) and Jonathan Schoop. How many future MLB players will this year's title-winning squad produce?

🏈 Trivia time

Odell Beckham Jr. made the Giants' 53-man roster , giving the 33-year-old wideout a chance to finish his career where it began.

Question:Can you name the four teams OBJ played for between his first (2014-18) and second stints (2026) with the Giants?

Hint:Three AFC, one NFC.

Answer at the bottom.

🏈 A comeback for the ages

William & Mary pulled off an unreal comeback against Villanova on Saturday, erasing a 10-point deficit with less than a minute remaining to take down the nation's No. 7 ranked FCS team in regulation.

The Tribe began their rally with a 40-yard Max Lipinski field goal with 53 second left, cutting Villanova's lead to 32-25.
Needing a touchdown, they recovered an onside kick inside the Villanova 40 after it bounced off a Wildcat.
Three plays later, W&M QB Winston Watkins found WR Kai Austin for a 37-yard TD. With an extra point, they tied the game at 32-32.

But the Tribe wasn't finished:Villanova QB Pat McQuaide threw deep with the clock winding down and got picked off by Cade Ellis, setting up Lipinski's 45-yard field goal to win it at the buzzer. Final score: 35-32.

Trivia answer:Browns (2019-21), Rams (2021), Ravens (2023), Dolphins (2024)

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