India, Sept. 1 -- Novak Djokovic suffered a painful blow at the US Open, losing in the first round of the Grand Slam for the first time in New York and suffering his earliest exit at a major in 20 years. The seismic defeat raised questions over whether the end for Djokovic was nearer than he may have realised. But former world No. 1 Mats Wilander has backed the Serbian to continue fighting, saying he still feels capable of challenging the best.

The Arthur Ashe crowd on Sunday witnessed Djokovic at his lowest during the opening-round match. He struggled physically, was seen vomiting on multiple occasions on court and, by the end of it all, was left sobbing as the inevitable result neared.

Djokovic went down in five sets against Mariano N...