Novak Djokovic Blames Bottle Incident For Poor Play At Italian Open

Novak Djokovic was one of the favorites going into the Italian Open. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was shockingly upset in the third round of the tournament by Alejandro Tabilo. It was one of the worst matches we have seen Djokovic play in awhile. This left people wondering what was going on with the tennis star. Djokovic offered his take on why he struggled, blaming an incident where he got hit in the head with a bottle.

Novak Djokovic Blames Bottle Incident For Poor Play

After his win on Friday, Novak Djokovic was signing autographs with fans. In a freak accident, a metal water bottle fell out of a fan’s backpack and hit Djokovic squarely on the head. The tennis star immediately fell to the ground and stayed there for 40 seconds before being escorted out by multiple security personnel. He received medical treatment, but despite blood and nausea, the Serbian claimed he was fine. However, he admitted that the accident affected him after his defeat.

“That has really impacted me a lot. After that I got medical care, been through half an hour, an hour of nausea, dizziness and blood,” Djokovic said at a news conference, adding that he would go for scans later. “I managed to sleep OK. I had headaches. The next day, or yesterday, was pretty fine, so I thought it’s OK. Maybe it is OK, maybe it’s not.

“The way I felt on the court today was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes. Just no rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. It’s a bit concerning.”

Getting hit in the head is no joke. While Novak Djokovic shouldn’t feel any lasting effects from this incident, in the short term, his body didn’t quite heal all the way.

Will This Affect Him At The French Open?

The French Open is right around the corner, beginning at the end of the month. Novak Djokovic has that long to let his body heal from the bottle incident. He will no doubt take it easy for the next few weeks. It might have been a blessing in disguise that he had an early exit from the Italian Open. Had he kept winning, he would have had to put more miles on his body before the French Open. While he wants to win every tournament, a major victory is likely worth more to him.

The bottle incident was scary. Head injuries have become a hot-button issue in sports. The good news is it seems Novak Djokovic avoided any serious injury and will be back in full force at the French Open.