World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Friday required medical attention after being struck in the head by a water bottle following his second-round win against France’s Corentin Moutet at the Italian Open.
The Serbian was signing autographs after his easy 6-3, 6-1 victory against the lucky loser when he was hit in the head by the bottle and he immediately clutched his head as fell to his knees. He remained crouched on the ground for several seconds as staff ran to his aid and was eventually helped off court.
Tournament organizers said there was no cause for concern over his condition.
Photo: AFP
“Novak Djokovic on leaving the Central Court at the end of his match was hit on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs [for] spectators,” the tournament said in a statement posted on social media. “He underwent appropriate medication and has already left the Foro Italico to return to his hotel.”
Footage posted to social media showed the bottle had slipped out of a fan’s backpack and hit him.
Reuters was not immediately able to independently verify the footage.
“Thank you for the messages of concern,” Djokovic wrote on X. “This was an accident and I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack. See you all on Sunday.”
He next plays Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.
In the women’s doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium beat Anna Kalinskaya and Elena Vesnina 7-5, 6-2.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
RSS