Updated12. May 2024, 5:05 p.m.
Tennis: Novak Djokovic eliminated in Rome
The world No. 1 went out in the third round on Sunday against Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.
Novak Djokovic worried two weeks before Roland-Garros.
AFP
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was eliminated on Sunday in the 3rd round of the Masters 1000 in Rome, dominated by the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, 32nd in the ATP ranking, 6-2, 6-3.
Two weeks before Roland-Garros (May 26-June 9), Djokovic, 36, is in the greatest limbo: he is still looking for his first title of the year and is evolving far from his usual standards.
We have to go back to May 2017 to find traces of a comparable correction in the Masters 1000, when “Djoko” was outclassed by Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4 in the semi-finals in Madrid.
The Serb appeared exhausted, without desire, multiplying direct errors during this meeting, two days after a painful and unusual misadventure: Friday evening, he was knocked out by the water bottle that fell from a spectator’s bag while he was signing autographs after his easy victory against Frenchman Corentin Moutet (6-3, 6-1).
“I was completely off base”
“You have to congratulate my opponent, I had never faced him. He is a good player, very complete, I was not able to find good sensations on the court,” he declared after his defeat.
“I was completely off base, lacking rhythm and balance,” he continued at a press conference.
“I can’t say (if what happened Friday) had an impact. We will have to do exams” explained “Djoko” who has still not won a title in 2024.
With his skull cut, he was able to quickly return to his hotel, without going to a hospital, and trained normally the next day.
A first since 2018
The day after the elimination of Rafael Nadal, record holder for victories in Rome (10), the Roman tournament lost another player who marked its history.
The Serbian, six-time winner of the event, had not left the Foro Italico so prematurely since 2018 (elimination in the 2nd round).
He will approach the second Grand Slam tournament of the year with a singularly damaged confidence, having played little (five tournaments) and with two semi-finals (Australian Open, Monte-Carlo) as his best results.
After his elimination in Monte-Carlo, he skipped the Masters 1000 in Madrid to return to training. When he arrived in Rome, he assured that he was “on the right track to be in peak form at Roland-Garros”.
That was before a gourd, then the Roman sky, in the form of an uninhibited Tabilo, fell on his head.
(AFP)