Novak Djokovic lost to qualifier Dino Prizmic in the second round of the Italian Open, marking his first match since March. Djokovic, a six-time champion in Rome, struggled with illness during the match.
[Reuters]
Novak Djokovic was beaten by gutsy qualifier Dino Prizmic on his return to action in the Italian Open second round.
World number four Djokovic was playing his first match since 12 March - and more crucially his first of the year on clay - after missing several tournaments with a shoulder injury.
A six-time champion in Rome, Djokovic started strongly but was laboured and looked to be struggling with illness in the second set.
However, that is to take nothing away from Croatia's Prizmic, who played bravely to overpower the Serb 2-6 6-2 6-4.
The 20-year-old, one of many players who counts Djokovic as his idol, wrote "Nole it was a pleasure" on the camera lens after the match.
Djokovic, who received a first-round bye in Italy, said afterwards he will not play before the French Open begins on 24 May, where he will once again be chasing a standalone record 25th Grand Slam singles title.
"I'm not definitely where I want to be to compete at the highest level and to be able to get far," the 38-year-old said.
"I don't recall last time I had a preparation where I didn't have any kind of physical issues or health issues coming into the tournament.
"There's always something. Kind of a new reality that I have to deal with."
Djokovic, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros last year, reached the final of the Australian Open in January, losing in four sets to Carlos Alcaraz.
He will turn 39 two days before the French Open gets under way.
Dino Prizmic (right) was two-years-old when Novak Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title [Getty Images]
Djokovic had beaten Prizmic in their previous meeting at the 2024 Australian Open, saying afterwards it was "like playing myself in a mirror".
Novak Djokovic lost to qualifier Dino Prizmic in the second round.
Novak Djokovic last played on March 12, 2023, before returning at the Italian Open.
Novak Djokovic was recovering from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss several tournaments.
Novak Djokovic has won the Italian Open six times.
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It was Djokovic who started the stronger of the two this time, dropping just three points behind serve as he wrapped up a quick first set.
But Prizmic, backed by a big serve and even bigger forehand, won four games in a row to take control of the second.
Djokovic moved sluggishly behind the baseline and resorted to drop shots in an attempt to shorten the points - but Prizmic was equal to almost every one, with 13 winners helping him force a deciding set.
Both players left court before the third set and Djokovic seemed to have more energy as it began.
However, Prizmic continued to get on top of the baseline exchanges and chase down Djokovic's drop shots, breaking for a 3-2 lead as the Serb sent a volley long.
Djokovic yelled in frustration at the final change of ends and the noise ramped up as Prizmic prepared to serve for the biggest victory of his career.
Yet he was unfazed, continuing to hit big groundstrokes before sending an ace out wide to wrap up victory.
It is a second top-10 win in as many weeks for Prizmic after he beat world number six Ben Shelton at the Madrid Open last month.
"I don't think I played so bad, to be honest. It was a good battle in the end," Djokovic added.
Prizmic was the boys' champion at Roland Garros just three years ago, and when his idol dropped his level markedly at the start of the second set, he took full advantage.
Djokovic hinted he may have been feeling unwell in that second set, and his preparation for this tournament had already been compromised by the shoulder he injured in Indian Wells in March.
The Serb is a different beast in the Grand Slams, but having decided against playing in Geneva - where he won his 100th title last year - he will have the sum total of one clay match heading into the French Open.
He will be 39 by then, but will hope his first-week draw is relatively benign so he can regain at least some of the sharpness he currently lacks.