Novak Djokovic suspected he was feeling the effects of being struck on the head by a water bottle during his shock defeat to Alejandro Tabilo in the Italian Open.
The Serbian was beaten 6-2 6-3 in little over an hour in Rome, bringing his 20-year run of reaching at least the quarter-finals to an end. Afterwards, Djokovic said he felt “like a different player” and complained of having “no balance”.
Novak Djokovic admitted he felt “like a different player” during his shock defeat at the Italian Open to 29th seed Alejandro Tabilo, and said he will require further “medical check-ups” after he was accidentally struck on the head by a bottle while in Rome.
The Serbian, a six-time winner of the ATP 1000 event, was beaten 6-2 6-3 by Tabilo, meaning he won’t feature in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2004.
A water bottle fell out of a fan’s bag and struck Djokovic on the head immediately after his 6-3 6-1 win over Corentin Moutet in the second round and the 36-year-old believes the incident may have played a part in his off-colour showing.
Six-time Italian Open champion Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat to 29th seed Alejandro Tabilo on Sunday, who sealed the first top-10 win of his career in Rome.
The powerful Tabilo posted a sensational 6-2 6-3 victory, as Djokovic’s Roland-Garros preparations took another blow.
