24-time Grand Slam tournament winner Serbia deservedly lost against Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 2:6, 3:6 at the Masters 1000 tournament in Rome and was surprisingly eliminated in the third round.
Two days after being hit in the head with a bottle, top seed Djokovic was far from his peak form ahead of the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. The 36-year-old made several minor mistakes. Incredibly, Djokovic ended the match after just 67 minutes with a double fault on his own serve.
“This is crazy, I can’t believe it.”
After the defeat, the Serb announced that he wanted to examine his head. After his victory against the Frenchman Corentin Moutet, he was hit with a bottle while signing autographs and fell to the ground. “Today it was as if I had been replaced by a completely different player. No rhythm, no pace, no balance in sight,” Djokovic said. “It’s a bit worrying.” Immediately after the accident, Djokovic wrote on social networks that he was fine and resting at the hotel.
Organizers of the clay court tournament in the Italian capital announced that Djokovic was treated with appropriate medication. A statement said that the drinking bottle may have accidentally fallen on the six-time winner of the competition and was not thrown at him on purpose. Video footage showed the bottle slipping out of a bystander’s pocket.
His opponent, who was ten years his junior, took advantage of the opportunity and played smartly. Tabilo was the first Chilean since 2007 to beat a world number one. At that time, Fernando González was accompanied by Swiss Roger Federer ATP– finals hit. “This is crazy, I can’t believe it,” said Tabilo, who will now face Russia’s Karen Khachanow in the round of 16.
2024-05-12 16:11:40
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