How Novak Djokovic could create Italian Open history and break an all-time Rafael Nadal record
After a two-month absence, Novak Djokovic is preparing to return to ATP Tour action at the Italian Open.
The Serbian is set to play Dino Prizmic in the second round of the Rome Masters event he has previously won on six occasions throughout his career.
Djokovic has been vocal about the schedule ahead of the Italian Open, but he is confident he can begin his preparations for Roland Garros in good fashion.
The star’s six wins at the Rome competition can only be beaten by Rafael Nadal, as the Serbian has won the tournament in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2020, and 2022.
While Djokovic is very unlikely to oust Nadal’s 10 title victories, he does have the chance to take another of the King of Clay’s records this campaign.
Djokovic is just two victories away from Nadal’s all-time record at the Italian Open, as the Spaniard managed 70 victories in his 19 appearances.
Players with the most victories at the Italian Open
- Rafael Nadal – 70
- Novak Djokovic – 68
- Roger Federer – 34
- Alexander Zverev -27
- Stan Wawrinka – 25
- David Ferrer – 24
- Tomas Berdych – 19
- Marin Cilic – 19
Ahead of the 2026 event, Djokovic sits on 68 victories from his 18 appearances at the tournament, so he is just three wins away from setting an Italian Open record.
Djokovic will be just two victories away from setting the record if he is able to beat Prizmic in the second round, and there is every chance he can do so as he has been given a favourable section of the draw.
The Serbian is the only top 10 player in his section of the draw and the highest-ranked player he can face before the quarter-finals is Karen Khachanov.
His most likely third round opponent is set to be Ugo Humbert, who he has a winning head-to-head record against. Djokovic beat Humbert in their only match together, which came in a straightforward straight sets victory at Wimbledon in 2019.
Novak Djokovic’s likely route to the Italian Open final
- 2R: Dino Prizmic
- 3R: Ugo Humbert
- 4R: Karen Khachanov
- QF: Lorenzo Musetti
- SF: Alexander Zverev
- F: Jannik Sinner
Djokovic should be confident that he can beat Khachanov too, as he has lost just one match against the Russian star in their 10 matches on the ATP Tour.
That defeat came all the way back in 2018, when Khachanov stunned Djokovic in the final of the Paris Masters. Since then, Djokovic has won eight matches in a row, including at the Davis Cup Finals, Roland Garros, and the Paris Masters.
The pair’s last match came on the clay, when Djokovic knocked Khachanov out of the quarter-finals of Roland Garros back in 2023, en route to lifting the trophy for the third and, to date, final time of his career.
Should Djokovic reach the quarter-finals of the Italian Open again, he will break yet another tennis record in his already brilliant tennis career.
