Djokovic and his defeat after the bottle incident

“I’m fine” – Djokovic brushes off his worries by comically donning a bike helmet on Saturday.

But for the world number 1 it is likely to be more complex. On Friday evening, someone close to the player wrote to us: “We hope that he is doing well.” And this hope was not turned into reality.

Djokovic was eliminated in the third round in Rome against Alejandro Tabilo (6:2, 6:3) and showed a level of play and, above all, commitment that was almost frightening for someone of his level. On Friday evening he admitted that the effects had really hit him (nausea, headaches). After his game, the Serb gave a short press conference that contained both clear statements and important information. Here are the key points.

How did Djokovic rate his performance?

“I was completely wrong.”

Novak Djokovic saw the same game as you. If he scored only five games against Tabilo (and 17 points in the first set!), it is both because the Chilean left-hander delivered a match in the race worthy of his status as the 20th player in the world in 2024, and Djokovic also had nothing to offer in return.

Here’s what Djokovic said: “Congratulations to my opponent. It’s the first time I’ve faced him. Good player. Really quality player. All-round game.

“Yes, to be honest I just couldn’t feel good on the pitch when hitting the ball. Yes, I was completely wrong. I mean, the way I felt on the pitch today was just like another player had walked in my shoes. Just no rhythm, no tempo, no balance at all on any beat. It’s a bit worrying.”

Did Friday’s bottle incident affect his performance?

“I need to check that.”

Contrary to statements made since Friday, Djokovic did not rule out that the accident after his victory over Corentin Moutet two days after the event had affected his game or even his health.

Here’s what Djokovic said: “I honestly do not know. I have to check this. The training was different. Yesterday I wanted to do a light workout. I didn’t feel anything, but I didn’t feel that way either.

“It was pretty bad today under a lot of pressure – not in terms of the pain, but in terms of the balance. Just no coordination. Completely different player than two nights ago.

“Could be (the bottle incident). I don’t know. I need to do medical tests and see what’s going on.”

How did Djokovic feel after the incident?

“That really impressed me.”

The next time we saw Djokovic after Friday night was that little bicycle helmet joke as he signed autographs before his training session on Saturday. But after his defeat in Rome he spoke more about how he felt after the blow to the head – he didn’t blame anyone but admitted some subsequent physical problems.

Here’s what Djokovic said: “I mean, I think you saw it very clearly in the video. It was a very unfortunate, unfortunate situation for me. It was an accident where this guy leaned over the fence and the bottle fell out of his backpack and landed right on my head.

“It was obviously unexpected. I didn’t even look up. Then I felt a very strong blow to my head. Yes, that really touched me. After that I received medical care. I went through half an hour, an hour of nausea, dizziness, blood and lots of different things. I was able to sleep well. I had headache. The next day or yesterday was pretty good so I thought it’s ok. Maybe it’s okay. Maybe that’s not it.

What attitude does Djokovic have before Roland-Garros?

“The same as always!”

Djokovic is having his worst clay-court season since 2006, with a semifinal appearance in Monte-Carlo and a single win in Rome. Worse, in five tournaments this year he has not played a final, reached just two semi-finals and won just 12 games and lost five , far from his usual standards. When asked about his state of mind two weeks before the French Open, he replied with three words: “The same as always”, probably referring to the answer he gave in Monte-Carlo in 2023 after his defeat against Musetti , when he said he was confident, in a word: of his ability to win the French Open. He did win the tournament – but that was six weeks later.

Here’s what Djokovic said: “Everything has to get better so that I at least have a chance of winning it.”