Novak Djokovic takes hilarious extra precautions after ‘bottlegate’ incident

Kevin Palmer
Novak Djokovic wore a cycling helmet at the Italian Open
Novak Djokovic wore a cycling helmet at the Italian Open

Novak Djokovic confirmed he has recovered from the worrying incident at the end of his second-round Italian Open match as he returned to the tournament venue on Saturday.

Djokovic collapsed to the ground after he was struck on the head by a bottle at the Italian Open.

After he beat lucky loser Corentin Moutet and moved into the third round in Rome, the 36-year-old suffered an accidental blow to his head as he made his way off the court.

Djokovic fell to the ground for more than half a minute before he returned to his feet, flanked by multiple officials, and then headed to the medical centre at the Foro Italico.

A statement from the Italian Open read: “Novak Djokovic has been accidentally hit by a bottle while signing autographs after his 6-3 6-1 win against France’s Corentin Moutet at the Italian Open.

“This is not being treated as a deliberate act, but as an accident. A boy was calling out to get an autograph and the bottle fell out of his bag. Novak has been taken to the medical centre.”

Organisers later issued an update which read: “He has undergone the necessary checks and has already left the Foro Italico to return to his hotel. His condition is not a cause for concern.”

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Djokovic added to that statement as he confirmed he had not suffered any serious injury in the incident with this message on his X account: “Thank you for the messages of concern. This was an accident and I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack. See you all on Sunday.”

Now Djokovic has shown his comical side, after arriving at the Foro Italico for practice on Saturday and this time he came prepared.

Wearing a cycling helmet and a big smile as he greeted the fans, this autograph session went a little more smoothly than the last.

It was clear that Djokovic was eager to put the incident behind him, with some of his more passionate fans on X made to look a little foolish after they initially claimed the bottle had been ‘thrown’ at their hero in an act of violence.

Some even suggested the Italian police needed to be called to address the ‘security issue’, but video footage clearly showed the bottle slipping out of the bag of a fan as he leaned forward to get an autograph from Djokovic.

If he had intended to hit the world No 1 with the bottle, it would have been far more viable to do so by throwing or dropping it from his hand, but this was clearly an unfortunate accident and Djokovic’s smiling face a few hours later confirmed little harm has been done.

Djokovic will now look forward to his match against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo on Sunday, who has enjoyed a jump in the rankings to a career-high No 32 ahead of his clash with a high-profile clash with the world No 1.

Tabilo has not gone past the second round at a Grand Slam event, with his most impressive run in an ATP 1000 Masters tournament coming with a fourth-round appearance at Indian Wells last year.

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