Novak Djokovic suffers practice defeat ahead of return to tennis at the Italian Open
Novak Djokovic has suffered his first setback at the Italian Open, before his first match at the Rome tournament he has won six times previously.
Djokovic has not played a competitive match since losing to Jack Draper in the third round of Indian Wells, but he is in Rome preparing for his first clay court event of the season.
Djokovic could have an advantage at the Italian Open, especially without Carlos Alcaraz in attendance, as he is missing the tournament with a wrist injury.
The star has been working alongside Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Ignacio Buse as he hits the European clay court swing for the first time in a year.
The Serbian has been practicing at the Rome tournament and he played a set against Arthur Fils in front of a packed out house on the tournament’s court three.
The short-lived match did not go to plan for Djokovic, as he was comfortably defeated by Fils by a 6-2 scoreline to bring his preparations to an end.
The loss will likely be brushed off by Djokovic, who knows how to turn on the style when it matters most. For Fils, though, it’s another impressive accolade for his season.
It should not be a surprise that Djokovic has lost to Fils as the Frenchman has been in sensational form since his comeback in February.
The star reached the final of the Qatar Open in February and he won his first ATP title of the year at the Barcelona Open last month.
Fils has been touted as one of the most likely contenders for the Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner duopoly due to these performances and producing a scalp against Djokovic is just another feather in his cap.
Djokovic, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from this minor setback to begin his preparations for Roland Garros in good fashion.
The Serbian is the third seed at the Italian Open and he’s been placed in the otherside of the draw as Sinner, which has boosted his chances of a lengthy run.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion will await the winner of the first round match between Marton Fucsovics and Dino Prizmic, both of whom he holds a positive head-to-head record against.
Djokovic leads 6-0 against Fucsovics and he won his first and only match against Prizmic back at the 2024 Australian Open.
Prizmic earned high praise from Djokovic after their match in Melbourne, so the Serbian will be wary of his potential opponent in Italy.
“There were some gruelling rallies, very physical games. Almost four hours for four sets. It felt at some point I was playing myself in a mirror already,” said Djokovic of Prizmic after defeating him at the 2024 Australian Open.
Djokovic has also been drawn in the same section of the draw as Karen Khachanov, Ugo Humbert, and Botic van de Zandschulp at the Italian Open.
