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Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic was hit with a water bottle as he was signing autographs and clicking pictures after his 6-3, 6-1 victory over Corentin Moutet of France in his Italian Open tournament opener. Djokovic was returning to action after a month's layoff as he prepared for the upcoming French Open and the Paris Olympics.
Djoker last played Casper Ruud on April 13 where he suffered a defeat in the semi-final stage of the Monte Carlo Masters. Coming back to Rome, Djokovic seemed rusty in the opening moments of his clash but soon found his grove back to clinch the match in straight sets. The 36-year-old produced 21 winners to Moutet’s 13 and had 13 unforced errors to his opponent’s 20.
Djokovic gets hit on head while signing autographs at Italian Open
After this game, Djokovic was interacting with the fans when a water bottle fell out of the stands and hit the 24-time Grand Slam champion on his head. Immediately, the Serbian went to the ground while security tried to shield him before exiting the venue. Later it was revealed that the incident was an accident as the bottle fell out of a fan's backpack as he waited for an autograph.
I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack: Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic took to social media and addressed the incident. The Serbian said, "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."
Italian Tennis Federation spokesman Alessandro Catapano also stated that Djokovic had some blood on his head but didn't need stitches. “He was upset, but he seems OK,” Catapano said.
“We’re also very upset about what happened and we are trying to figure out who it was and understand the dynamics. The police came and asked for information but the person who did it had already left,” Catapano added. “We’re going through all of the video and camera angles to see if we can determine what exactly happened.”
