Rome [Italy], May 13 : After crashing out of the Italian Open, World No.1 Novak Djokovic claimed his performance was impacted by the effects of getting smashed on the head by a bottle.
The 36-year-old started his Italian Open campaign by defeating Corentin Moutet in his opening-round match of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. However, when he was exiting the court on Friday night, he was hit by a falling bottle on his head.
Djokovic expressed concern about his performance against Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.
Chile's Tabilo took full advantage of world No. 1 Djokovic's error-filled effort to cruise to a 6-2, 6-3 triumph in only 67 minutes. Djokovic struggled with 22 unforced mistakes, five double faults, and no break points against his left-handed opponent in his quest for 1,100th win.
"I managed to sleep okay. I had headaches. The next day or yesterday was pretty fine, so I thought it's okay. Maybe it is okay. Maybe it's not," Djokovic said as quoted by Sky Sports.
"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," the World No.1 said.
"I was going for kind of easy training yesterday. I didn't feel anything, but I also didn't feel the same. Today under high stress, it was quite bad - not in terms of pain, but in terms of this balance. Just no coordination. A completely different player from two nights ago. I don't know. I have to do medical check-ups and see what's going on," he added.
Six-time champion Djokovic was unable to match his customary level against Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the third-round clash. When reflecting on the third-round match, the Serbian expressed concern.
"I just wasn't able to find any kind of good feelings on the court, to be honest, striking the ball. I was completely off," said Djokovic, who lost in straight sets.
Djokovic had never played Tabilo before, and the lefty's big forehand caused issues for the PIF ATP Rankings' top player throughout. The 98-time tour-level champion heaped praise on the 26-year-old, who won his first tour-level title in Auckland at the start of the season.
"Congratulations to my opponent. It was the first time I faced him. Great player. Really a quality player. All-around game," Djokovic said.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion said that he will need to enhance 'everything' if he wants a chance of winning his 25th major title at the French Open 2024.
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