Novak Djokovic’s unexpected elimination from the Italian Open on Sunday might mark a significant moment in the battle for the world’s number-one tennis ranking, especially with his French Open title defense looming and Jannik Sinner positioned to potentially surpass him.
The tournament released a video showing that Novak Djokovic was hit on the head by accident.
The bottle slipped from a fan’s backpack.
Just a very unfortunate, unlucky situation. ❤️🩹
(via @InteBNLdItalia)
pic.twitter.com/5LIzzWZpMS— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 10, 2024
Just two days after an incident where he was accidentally struck on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs in Rome, Djokovic, not at his best, suffered a surprising defeat in the tournament he has previously won six times. He was convincingly beaten 6-2, 6-3 in the third round by Alejandro Tabilo, marking his earliest exit from the event.
Novak Djokovic On Freak Injury
“It was a very unfortunate, unlucky situation … that guy leaned over the fence, and the bottle dropped from his rucksack and landed on my head,” Djokovic said, reflecting on the freak accident that hurt his chances to pull away from Sinner.” said Djokovic.
“It was unexpected. I wasn’t even looking up. Then I felt a very strong hit in the head. That has really impacted me. After that, I got the medical care. Been through half-an-hour, an hour of nausea, dizziness, blood, a lot of different things. I managed to sleep okay. I had headaches. Yesterday was fine, so I thought it’s okay. Maybe it’s okay. Maybe it’s not. The way I felt on the court was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes. No rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. It’s a bit concerning.” he added.
Despite the loss, Djokovic will maintain a lead of 1,090 points over Sinner before the start of the year’s second Grand Slam on May 26. However, with Djokovic defending 2,000 points in Paris, simply winning the title may not be sufficient to retain his top ranking.
Having played only six matches on clay leading up to Roland Garros, Djokovic may find himself slightly underprepared as he seeks his 25th Grand Slam title.
Even if Djokovic manages to triumph at the French Open, Sinner could ascend to the top spot in the rankings for the first time on June 10 by advancing to the championship match.
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