Novak Djokovic’s first 2024 Italian Open match turned ugly.
As Djokovic exited the court, after beating Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-1on Friday at Forto Italico in Rome, and began signing autographs for fans, a bottle came flying down from the stands and smacked Djokovic in the head.
Djokovic quickly grabbed his head and fell to the ground in pain, staying there for several moments before being helped into the tunnel and into the locker room.
“Thank you for the messages of concern. This was an accident and I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack,” Djokovic posted on X. “See you all on Sunday.”
A child was leaning over the railing while trying to get Djokovic’s attention for an autograph, according to the tournament, and the aluminum-type bottle fell out of the child’s backpack and hit Djokovic on the head.
“Novak Djokovic on leaving the Central court at the end of his match was accidentally hit on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs to spectators,” the Italian Open said in a statement. “He underwent appropriate medication and has already left the Foro Italico to return to his hotel; his condition is not a cause for concern.”
Subsequent video from a different angle supported that claim.
An audible gasp could be heard from the crowd after the bottle nailed Djokovic.
Sky Sports reported that he was being attended to by medical staff in the locker room after the incident.
Djokovic had a bit of blood on his head but did not require stitches, Italian Tennis Federation spokesman Alessandro Catapano said.
“He was upset, but he seems OK,” Catapano said. “We’re also very upset about what happened and we are trying to figure out who it was and understand the dynamics.
“The police came and asked for information but the person who did it had already left,” Catapano added. “We’re going through all of the video and camera angles to see if we can determine what exactly happened.”
Djokovic had otherwise cruised through his opener in Rome.
“I haven’t practiced with a lefty in a while, so it took me a little bit of time to adjust to the different rotation on the balls,” Djokovic said on the court following the match, before the incident. “The first four games were quite bad for me. … But then I played well.”
— With AP
