Two days after a water bottle was dropped on his head, Novak Djokovic suffered a straight-sets loss at the Italian Open and said afterward that he feels like a “different player.”
World No. 29 Alejandro Tabilo cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Djokovic on Sunday, sending the No. 1 player in the world to an early exit in the Round of 32 and stunning the Rome crowd.
After the loss, Djokovic told reporters that he was still feeling the effects of the water bottle impact that he said caused “nausea, dizziness and blood” in its immediate aftermath.
“It was unexpected, obviously,” Djokovic said Sunday. “I wasn’t even looking up. Then I felt a very strong hit in the head. That has really impacted me a lot. …
“I’ve been through half an hour, hour of nausea, dizziness and blood and a lot of different things. I managed to sleep OK. I had headaches. The next day — or yesterday — was pretty fine. So I though, you know, it’s OK.”
Djokovic on the bottle incident and performance in the loss to Alejandro Tabilo
“It’s like a different player entered my shoes, no rythym, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. So, it’s a bit concerning.”
🎥: ATP Media pic.twitter.com/t99b7ym8gn
— TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) May 12, 2024
He went on to describe his condition as “concerning” and said that he felt like a different player on the court Sunday afternoon.
“Maybe it is OK,” Djokovic continued. “Maybe it’s not. The way I felt on the court today was just completely from — it’s like a different player entered in my shoes. No rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. So, it’s a bit concerning.”
Water bottle fell directly on Djokovic’s head
The water bottle incident took place Friday as Djokovic left the court following his 6-3, 6-1 win over Corentin Moutet. He stopped by the tunnel to sign autographs for fans, and a water bottle fell from the stands onto the top of his head.
Another angle showed the bottle slip out of a fan’s backpack as he leaned over in search of Djokovic’s attention.
Djokovic grabbed his head, then knelt down to the court after the impact. He was then helped through the tunnel and back to the locker room. He later tweeted that he was “fine” and resting with an ice pack at his hotel.
Thank you for the messages of concern. This was an accident and I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack. See you all on Sunday. #IBI24
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 10, 2024
On Saturday, he showed up on his off day to the tournament in good spirits, jokingly wearing a bike helmet while greeting fans and signing autographs.
His level of concern took on a different tone following Sunday’s loss. He’ll now have two weeks off before the May 26 start of the French Open main draw in search of his 25th Grand Slam title.
