Novak Djokovic declares he is ‘fine’ after being hit with water bottle
Novak Djokovic has ensured fans that he will be able to continue competing at the Italian Open, after the world No.1 was struck with a water bottle following his opening round victory.
Djokovic beat lucky loser Corentin Moutet, 6-3 6-1, in his opening match in Rome before the incident unfolded.
When signing autographs on his way out from Campo Centrale, a water bottle hit the head of the Serbian and caused him to fall to the floor in pain.
There was speculation about how this bottle ended up hitting Djokovic, but after a different angle of the video showed up it enabled the tournament to clarify that it had accidentally fallen out of a spectators bag.
“Novak Djokovic on leaving the Central court at the end of his match was accidentally hit on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs to spectators,” the Italian Open said on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The tournament went onto clarify that Djokovic’s injuries were not serious, “He underwent appropriate medication and has already left the Foro Italico to return to his hotel; his condition is not a cause for concern.”
The @InteBNLdItalia team showcases a video showing that the Djokovic case was ‘’an accident’. #Djokovic pic.twitter.com/IX6T4ihEVK
— Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) May 10, 2024
Djokovic understandably did not partake in a press conference after the incident, but released a statement of his own earlier this morning.
“Thank you for the messages of concern,” said the 24-time major winner on social media. “This was an accident and I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack. See you all on Sunday.”
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. #IBI24
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 10, 2024
Djokovic will return to the match court tomorrow, when he takes on 29th seed Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the Italian Open.
Inside the baseline…
At first it did seem a concerning state of affairs, given the way that the water bottle had struck Novak Djokovic. However, thankfully the many cameras at Foro Italico have confirmed that it was a complete accident and Djokovic is feeling okay, providing a statement of his own to play down any sort of speculation.
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