Dino Prizmic shares message to Novak Djokovic after surprise win at the Italian Open

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Dino Prizmic pulled off the biggest surprise of the Italian Open so far by knocking out third seed Novak Djokovic.

Two years after losing to Djokovic in their first meeting at the 2024 Australian Open, Prizmic turned things around. He came back from a set down to beat the Serb, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

The 20-year-old Croatian, ranked No. 79 in the world, has been building momentum lately. He recently picked up wins over Matteo Berrettini and Ben Shelton at the Madrid Open.

But beating his idol, Djokovic, is by far his biggest achievement to date. The win also puts him through to the third round of the Italian Open.

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Dino Prizmic Reacts to Victory Over Novak Djokovic

Prizmic took to social media after his stunning win to send a message to the 24-time Grand Slam champion. Prizmic wrote on Instagram: “Another battle on the court with a legend @djokernole, respect always. Thank you all for the support.”

The first meeting between these two came at the 2024 Australian Open, where Djokovic beat the then-18-year-old Prizmic in four sets.

Looking ahead, Prizmic’s next opponent is Ugo Humbert, and it will be their first encounter on the ATP Tour.

Humbert has had a tough time during this year’s clay season, managing just two wins across three Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome.

He picked up a victory in Monte-Carlo before a heavy loss to Jannik Sinner and was knocked out in his opening match in Madrid.

A look at how Novak Djokovic has started his 2026 ATP season

After playing only 13 events last year, Djokovic has made three appearances so far in 2026.