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Justine Henin assesses Novak Djokovic's next moves and future after shock US Open first-round exit - 'So many questions' React to this story Justine Henin says there are ”so many questions” surrounding Novak Djokovic’s future following his shock US Open first-round exit, including whether it is time to accept that his best level is now in the past. Djokovic, 39, is one of the all-time tennis greats and holds the record for the most men’s Grand Slam singles titles with 24. For the last three years he has been trying to break a tie with Margaret Court for the all-time Grand Slam record by winning a 25th title, but he came up short in his latest attempt in New York as he was beaten in the first round by Mariano Navone. Djokovic struggled physically during the gruelling five-set match, battling cramps and also vomiting, just as he did in August when he was also beaten early at the Cincinnati Open. The four-time champion was also tearful as the match slipped away from him in the final set. ”There are so many questions about his capacity to keep working hard,” said TNT Sports expert Henin. ”Because coming into tournaments and trying to perform still the way he did in the past few years at Grand Slams, making semi-finals and the Australian Open final, that requires a lot of effort from him and probably the body gets tired in certain ways and there are maybe some issues we are not aware of. ”Mentally it is probably so hard for him also to accept that he is not able anymore to respond the way he did for so many years. ”We could see the emotions were at the highest level at the end of the match and it shows how hard it is for him to deal with the situation.” Djokovic made the semi-finals at all four majors last season and also reached the Australian Open final earlier this year, losing to Carlos Alcaraz. He lost early at the French Open before making the semis at Wimbledon, where he was beaten in straight sets by Jannik Sinner. Henin believes Djokovic is in a difficult situation where Father Time might finally be catching up to him. ”His reaction tells us how special and unique he is,” she continued. ”To win 24 Grand Slams and then to not be as special is probably a very difficult situation for him. ”For sure there are so many questions coming into Djokovic’s head. He always had the resources in the past to deal with what he went through. ”He also talked in the past two years about not winning as much as he did in the past but still playing for the majors and making history. ”He also wants to keep enjoying what he does, but really can he enjoy the game not being able to compete at the very highest level? ”Will this result change how he sees things? It will depend physically how he can react in the next few weeks and months. ”It is also a process, one we don’t have access to, to think about his future, to accept that maybe the best is behind him and there is another life in the future. ”It will be his timing and we all have to accept it because it is his own process.” Djokovic is the last of the ‘Big Three’ still playing, with Roger Federer having retired after the 2022 Laver Cup and Rafael Nadal bowing out following the 2024 season. Djokovic is set to drop out of the top 10 following the US Open and when the new ATP rankings are released on Monday, September 14, it will be the first time since October 2002 that none of the ‘Big Three’ are included. ”With these champions we always want to imagine in one way or another that they will live forever and remain legends,” added Henin. ”We still want them to find some resources. It was hard with Roger and Rafa, and it will be hard with Novak, so today I am a little bit more concerned than I was a few months ago but in another way there is nothing dramatic. "No matter what he chooses I think tennis has a future and he will be a big part of the history of the game. I think he wants to keep living these emotions but with more joy in the future. We will see.” - - - Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this Watch and stream top tennis action, including the Australian Open and French Open, live with TNT Sports on HBO Max.