Novak Djokovic’s preparations for Roland Garros hit a significant snag on Friday as the tennis icon suffered a surprising early exit at the Italian Open. Returning from a shoulder injury, the world number four struggled to find his rhythm and ultimately fell to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic in a grueling second-round encounter. The young Prizmic claimed the biggest win of his career with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory, leaving fans on center court in Rome stunned and raising serious questions about Djokovic’s fitness heading into the French Open.
Djokovic appeared to be a shadow of his usual self, hampered by the physical toll of a long and storied career. After winning the first set comfortably, the 24-time Grand Slam champion buckled under the sheer power and aggression displayed by the 20-year-old Prizmic. For Djokovic, who wore shoulder strapping throughout the match, this new struggle with injury is becoming a frustrating trend. He admitted to reporters afterward that dealing with physical setbacks has become a “new reality,” noting that it has been years since he felt truly one hundred percent entering a major tournament.
The victory is a massive milestone for Prizmic, who grew up idolizing Djokovic. The young talent has been on a tear lately, recently defeating world number six Ben Shelton in Madrid and now adding a win over a legend to his resume. Djokovic was gracious in defeat, praising the youngster as a great fighter and a top-level competitor. While Prizmic moves on to face either Ugo Humbert or Vit Kopriva, Djokovic is left to focus on recovery, offering only a hopeful “I hope so” when asked if he would be back to his dominant best in Paris later this month.
While the men’s draw lost its top seed, other heavy hitters managed to navigate their way through. Alexander Zverev looked sharp in his straight-sets win over fellow German Daniel Altmaier, securing a 7-5, 6-3 victory. Zverev, who reached the final in Madrid just last weekend, is currently in fine form and remains a major threat in Rome, though he remains wary of a potential clash with the tournament favorite, Jannik Sinner.
On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek had to dig deep to secure her place in the third round. What initially looked like a straightforward day for the three-time champion turned into a nearly three-hour marathon against Caty McNally. Swiatek eventually triumphed 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, admitting after the match that she had to remain incredibly patient to survive McNally’s impressive challenge.
