After bump on head, Djoker knocked out

Rome, May 12

Novak Djokovic put on one of his worst performances at one of his favourite tournaments as he was upset by 29th-seeded Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the Italian Open. It was Djokovic’s first match since accidentally getting knocked on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs after his opening win on Friday.

That has really impacted me a lot. The way I felt on the court today was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes. Just no rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. It’s a bit concerning. — Novak Djokovic

Djokovic started off with a double-fault and it didn’t get much better for the six-time Rome champion. The top-ranked Djokovic lost his first two service games and went on to lose the match 6-2 6-3 in just 68 minutes, handing Tabilo the victory when he double-faulted — his fifth of the match — and the boos rang out at the Foro Italico.

The third-round loss marked Djokovic’s worst performance at the Italian Open. He had lost only once before to an opponent outside the top-10 at Rome, where he had never gone out before the quarterfinals. Djokovic followed Nadal with an early exit after the record 10-time Rome champion lost his third round match to Hubert Hurkacz 6-1 6-3 on Saturday.

While Djokovic had said he was “fine” after the water bottle incident, it was an unusually off-key performance from the 24-time Grand Slam champion as he tries to step up his game on clay before attempting to defend his title at the French Open, which starts on May 26. After his loss, the 36-year-old said the incident “impacted” him.

“That has really impacted me a lot. After that I got medical care, been through half-an-hour, an hour of nausea, dizziness and blood,” Djokovic said, adding that he would go for scans later.

“I managed to sleep okay, I had headaches. The next day, or yesterday, was pretty fine, so I thought it is okay. Maybe it is okay, maybe it’s not. The way I felt on the court today was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes. Just no rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. It’s a bit concerning,” he added. — Agencies