Novak Djokovic gets the medical report he was waiting for following bottle incident
Novak Djokovic left the Rome Masters with a cloud over his head in more ways than one.
Not only did he lose in shocking fashion against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo, but the manner of the loss left huge question marks over what would come next for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Djokovic was beaten 6-2 6-3 in just 67 minutes by Tabilo in Rome, with the six-time champion committing 22 unforced errors, serving five double faults and failing to create a single break point.
The one-sided loss came two days after Djokovic collapsed to the ground after being struck by a bottle which fell from a spectator’s backpack as the world number one signed autographs following his win over Corentin Moutet.
“I think in the video you saw it very clearly,” Djokovic said after his defeat to Tabilo.
“It was a very unfortunate, unlucky situation for me. It was an accident where that guy leaned over the fence, and the bottle dropped from his rucksack and landed directly on my head.
“It was unexpected obviously. I wasn’t even looking up. Then I felt a very strong hit in the head. That has, yeah, really impacted me a lot. Been through half an hour, an hour of nausea, dizziness, blood, a lot of different things.
“I managed to sleep okay. I had headaches. The next day was pretty fine, so I thought it’s okay. Maybe it is okay. Maybe it’s not.
“I mean, 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. I didn’t do any scans or any tests. Right now, I feel like I should do it, so I will do it and let’s see. Let’s see what’s happening.”
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic underwent medical tests in Belgrade after he was hit on the head by a bottle at the Rome Masters.
Now widespread reports have confirmed that Djokovic has been given the all-clear by medics in Belgrade after he underwent scans following his return from Rome.
While that medical update will encourage Djokovic, it may also concern him as it does not explain why his performance against Tabilo was so far below the standards he has served over the course of his career.
On the back of his shock defeat against Italy’s Luca Nardi at the Indian Wells Masters in March, the slide in fortunes for Djokovic will be a major concern for the Serbian as he faces his next big test at the French Open.
Yet in the opinion of former British No 1 Andrew Castle, Djokovic remains the favourite to win the upcoming Grand Slam events at the French Open and especially at Wimbledon, despite his indiffernet form.
“If you ask me who is going to win Wimbledon on the men’s side, I would have to say Novak,” Castle told Tennis365 at a Game4Padel event.
“If you were betting on someone, why would you bet against the bloke who has done it all before?
“I think grass is the most specialist of all the surfaces. Some players don’t really think they have got a chance on it.
“You really need to believe you can do it and Novak knows that.
“The generation that spawned these all-time greats of our sport is coming to a close. Roger has gone, Rafa is coming towards the end of his career and things are changing.
“We have great new champions coming through, so it’s going to be a fascinating few months, but I still feel Novak is the man to beat when we get to Wimbledon.”
