'We returned to the hotel and found the room in disarray': Nicolas Jarry recalls distressing hotel incident during Rome Open

Nicolas Jarry has spoken out about a disturbing incident he and his family experienced during the 2024 Italian Open, after intruders entered their hotel room in Rome. The individuals rummaged through their belongings while Jarry was having dinner with his family. The former world No. 16 frequently travels with his wife and their two sons, Juan (3) and Santiago (2). They are currently expecting the birth of their third child in the coming weeks.

The Chilean achieved the best campaign of his career by reaching his first Masters 1000 final in Rome. Along the way, he defeated rivals such as Stefanos Tsitsipas (6th) and Tommy Paul (14th), setting up a final against Alexander Zverev (3rd). The South American fought hard but couldn't complete the epic feat, with "Sascha" taking the title 6-4, 7-5 without conceding a single break point.

“They were very intense days,” Jarry recently said in an interview with La Tercera, recalling his two weeks in Rome and the unfortunate hotel situation. “After dinner we returned to the hotel and found the room in disarray. Nothing had been taken, but my first reaction was to change hotels and feel safe. We made the move that same night.”

According to Clay Magazine, Jarry's family requested access to the hotel's security camera footage, but the request was denied. “With the change of hotel, we didn’t sleep much, and I was playing the next day,” Jarry admitted, as he faced Italian Stefano Napolitano the following day. “I wasn’t in a very good place overall. I wasn’t feeling great about myself, my tennis, my life situation. At that moment there were those two very stressful matches against local players,” commented Jarry, who consecutively defeated Italians Matteo Arnaldi and Napolitano at the Grand Stand Arena.

Jarry's health issues continue to impact his game

Currently ranked world No. 101, Jarry made an early exit from the Cincinnati Open after receiving a wildcard. He couldn't capitalize on a one-set lead against Pedro Martínez and ended up losing 6-1, 3-6, 4-6—wasting a break advantage in the third set.

Since losing the Rome final, Jarry has been dealing with physical problems and has progressively fallen in the rankings after suffering from vestibular neuritis, which affects his balance and motor skills. “It started at last year’s Roland Garros. I’ve been dealing with it for over a year now. And I think I'm in the final stretch. I still need a couple more months to feel like I can put this behind me,” the 29-year-old South American added. “I’m still hopeful that I can recover 100%, and I hope it will be that way.”

“Last week, I started working with a person who specializes in neuro-vision. I did about four hours of different exercises and tests. I’m waiting for the results of that and then I can make a good, very specific recovery plan. I’m very happy and lucky to have found this woman. I would have loved to have found her sooner, but oh well, things in life come when they come,” he added.

After a notable Wimbledon campaign where he advanced through qualifying to reach the fourth round, it recently seemed like the Chilean was starting to turn things around. Along the way, he defeated rivals like Holger Rune and João Fonseca before falling to local favorite Cam Norrie. For the rest of the year, Jarry doesn't have many points to defend and will have opportunities to continue climbing the rankings in an effort to return to the top 100. His next challenge will be the Winston-Salem Open qualifiers this weekend, his last tournament before competing in the US Open main draw.