Novak Djokovic insists he is “fine” after being hit in the head with a bottle after defeating Corentin Moutet in the second round of the Italian Open.
Djokovic, who is still on track to win the title this year, bounced back from a slow start to beat lucky loser Corentin Mutai 6-3 6-1 to reach the third round in Rome.
The 36-year-old suffered an “accidental” blow to the head shortly after his victory and fell to the ground for more than half a minute before standing up surrounded by multiple officials and heading to the medical center in the city center.
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Djokovic beats Corentin Mutai in straight sets to advance to third round of Italian Open
A statement from the Italian Open read: “Novak Djokovic was accidentally hit by a bottle while signing an autograph after his 6-3 6-1 win over France’s Corentin Moutel at the Italian Open. .
“This was not an intentional act, but an accident. A boy shouted for an autograph and the bottle fell out of his bag. Nowak has been taken to a medical center.”
Organizers later issued an update, writing: “He has undergone the necessary tests and has left Piazza Italia to return to his hotel. There is no cause for concern in his condition.”
In a post on X, Djokovic said he was “fine” and thanked fans for their support.
He said: “Thank you everyone for the concerned information. It was an accident and I was resting well in the hotel with an ice pack. See you on Sunday.”
How Djokovic improved in Rome
Although Djokovic was broken in the first two service games, the Serbian responded to Mutai’s strong start and won the first set 6-4 after falling behind 1-3.
In the second set, with Djokovic firmly in the lead, Mutai began barking frequently at himself and corner kicks, was warned by referee Carlos Bernardes for kicking the net, and repeatedly threw his racket – his Both sides of the phone were ringing strangely about to turn off.
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After Mutai knocked the ball down, he was asked to return to the top of the net post and the referee lost his cool with him
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During the match against Djokovic in Rome, the alarm on Mutai’s phone suddenly went off, and everyone involved saw the funny side of the moment.
In the end, Mutai failed to regain his positive attitude to compete and was eliminated 6-1 in the second set.
Djokovic will next face Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the third round.
“I haven’t practiced left-handed in a while, so it took me a little while to get used to the different ball rotations,” Djokovic said afterward. “The first four games were pretty bad for me. But then I played really well.
“Corentin is a very talented player. He has great hands and is very unpredictable. You don’t know what’s going to happen next. So I had to stay focused and I did. So it was a very good match. Good first game.
Mutai was in hot form against Roma
Elsewhere, world number three and former champion Alexander Zverev defeated Alexander Vukic 6-0 6-4, while Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov won on Court 12 Swept Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5 6-4.
However, fifth seed Kaspar Ruud suffered a disastrous defeat as Miomir Kekmanovic came from behind to win 0-6 6-4 6-4 – the Serbian suffered a medical injury late in the first set. He has recovered after leaving the game for a timeout.
No. 11 seed Taylor Fritz ended the hopes of home wild card player Fabio Fognini as the United States won 6-3 6-4.
Ben Shelton maintained his impressive form on clay as the 21-year-old American came from behind to beat Pavel Kotov 4-6 6-3 6-4 to reach the third round in Rome for the first time .
Portugal’s Nuno Borges eliminated No. 15 seed Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-4, while Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro defeated Australia’s No. 32 6-1 6-3. Seed Jordan Thompson.
Luciano Darderi and qualifier Francesco Passaro beat seeded Mariano Navone and Talon Glick respectively Tallon Griekspoor brought joy to the home fans.
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