Djokovic dons helmet on court after autograph session mishap
In the second round of the ATP 1000 tournament in Rome, Novak Djokovic defeated Corentin Moutet 6:3, 6:1. After the match, the Serbian player gave out autographs when a bottle accidentally hit him. The next day, the world's number one on the ATP ranking arrived on the court... wearing a helmet.
11 May 2024 15:11
Novak Djokovic began his challenge in the second round of the ATP 1000 tournament in Rome. After all, we are talking about the highest-seeded tennis player in the event, which takes place in the capital of Italy.
The Serbian’s first opponent was the lower-ranked Frenchman Corentin Moutet. Thus, Djokovic was the clear favourite of the match, and despite problems in the initial service games, he did not disappoint, ultimately winning 6:3, 6:1.
After the match ended, the ranking leader was signing autographs when he was hit by a bottle and fell to the ground. A video from the organizers clarified that it was an unintentional act, as the bottle fell out of a fan's backpack.
"Thank you for all the messages of concern. It was an accident, and I'm all right. Resting at the hotel with an ice pack. See you on Sunday" - conveyed the Serbian through social media.
In the meantime, by Saturday, May 11 GMT, Djokovic showed up on the court in Rome to start training. And despite the incident, he had no fears about signing autographs again. Well, almost...
The Italian portal Ubitennis showed that the Serbian arrived with... a helmet on his head. In this way, Djokovic responded after being hit by the bottle, which amused the community.
"Djokovic came to Foro Italico with proper precautions (and as usual with a healthy dose of irony) after yesterday's incident" - wrote the mentioned source, presenting a video.
