Novak Djokovic hit in head by water bottle

Novak Djokovic suffered a blow to the head after being hit by a water bottle while greeting fans following his victory at the Italian Open on Friday.

After his successful match against Coretin Moutet, Djokovic was interacting with fans on the court in Rome. As a fan extended a notebook for an autograph, an "aluminum-type water bottle" accidentally fell from the fan's backpack and struck Djokovic's head, causing him visible pain. Organizers described the incident as an unfortunate accident.

Djokovic was assisted off the court and taken to the locker room for medical evaluation. He had a noticeable bump on his head, and doctors were assessing the extent of his head injury.

Ranked as the world's top player, Djokovic had not competed since his loss to Casper Ruud in the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals. Although he has won the Italian Open six times previously, this year marks the first time since 2018 that he has reached May without securing a title.

“I haven’t practiced with a lefty in a while, so it took me a little bit of time to adjust to the different rotation on the balls,” Djokovic said. “The first four games were quite bad for me. … Corentin is a very talented player. He has great hands and [is] very unpredictable. You don’t know what comes up next. So I had to stay focused, which I did. So it’s a good opening match.”

In his opening match, Djokovic defeated Moutet with a score of 6-3, 6-1 and is scheduled to face Alejandro Tabilo in the upcoming round.

Following the Italian Open, Djokovic is preparing for the French Open later this month, where he aims to defend his title. Last year, he clinched his 23rd Grand Slam victory by defeating Ruud in the final, one of three Grand Slam titles he won in 2023, with his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final being one of the notable matches of the year.