Novak Djokovic on Sunday described his shock third-round elimination from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia by Alejandro Tabilo as “concerning,” two days after he was hit on the head by a bottle, which he said has caused nausea and dizzy spells.
Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 41st Masters 1000 title was ended in just more than an hour by Chilean Tabilo, who is ranked 32nd in the world and claimed his first win over a top-10 opponent, 6-2, 6-3.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner said that his subdued performance on a court where he has won six titles might have been due to the blow suffered while greeting fans on Friday night.
Photo: AFP
He had initially laughed off being accidentally struck on the head by a hard water bottle following his straightforward second-round win over Corentin Moutet, by wearing a cycling crash helmet to training on Saturday morning.
“I don’t know, to be honest. I have to check that. Training was different. I was going for kind of easy training yesterday. I didn’t feel anything, but I also didn’t feel the same,” Djokovic told reporters. “Today under high stress, it was quite bad — not in terms of pain, but in terms of this balance. Just no coordination. Completely different player from what it was two nights ago.”
Djokovic also said that he would have scans to “see what’s going on” before the French Open in Paris.
The last time Djokovic got to Roland Garros without a title to his name that season was in 2018, when his first honor of the campaign came at Wimbledon.
With the French Open, where his is the defending champion, to start in two weeks, Djokovic said that “everything needs to be better in order for me to have at least a chance to win” a 25th Grand Slam.
“The way I felt on the court today was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes,” he added. “It’s a bit concerning.”
Djokovic’s early elimination means that the last major men’s tournament before Roland Garros is wide open, with third seed Alexander Zverev beating home hope Luciano Darderi, ranked 54th in the world, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.
Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka beat Dayana Yastremska, 6-4, 6-2 to set up a clash in the next round with Elina Svitolina for the first time since their handshake row at last year’s French Open. Svitolina, a two-time winner at the Foro Italico, comfortably beat Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-3.
Svitolina accused Belarusian Sabalenka of inflaming tensions surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war for waiting at the net for a handshake after beating Ukrainian Svitolina in the Roland Garros quarter-finals last year.
Svitolina had already said that she was not going to offer one, as all Ukrainian players refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian rivals in protest at the ongoing war.
Earlier, fifth seed Maria Sakkari lined up a probable last-16 clash with Victoria Azarenka, who beat 80th-ranked Egyptian Mayar Sherif 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3.
In women’s doubles, top seeds Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan and Elise Mertens of Belgium beat Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US 6-4, 4-6, 11-9 in the round-of-16.
Meanwhile, ninth seeds Chan Hao-ching of Taiwan and Veronika Kudermetova of Russia gifted China’s Wang Xinyu and Zheng Saisai a walkover.
Additional reporting by staff writer
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday pulled off a major upset in the DFB-Pokal by defeating defending champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 in their semi-final. The third-division team came from behind after Jonathan Tah gave the visitors a 17th-minute lead. Marius Worl replied three minutes later and Maximilian Groser scored Bielefeld’s second goal just before the break. The home team looked more likely to add to that tally as the Leverkusen players looked jaded. “I’m just proud of this team,” Bielefeld coach Mitch Kniat said as most of the fans the small stadium sang around him. “No one will sleep in the city tonight.” Patrik Schick went
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that