Novak returned to competitors after practically two months away from the courtroom and performed his first official clay-court match of the 2026 season.
The third seed on the “Internazionali BNL d’Italia” in Rome suffered a shock second-round defeat to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic (ATP No. 79) in three units, 6-2, 2-6, 4-6.
The match lasted two hours and quarter-hour, and after a wonderful opening set, Novak was unable to keep up the identical stage and safe victory in his opening match in Rome.
Djokovic imposed a excessive tempo from the beginning and opened the match with nice confidence. Throughout the first set, he performed extraordinarily stable tennis, committing solely 4 unforced errors, whereas the 20-year-old Prizmic made 12. Though Novak did not convert a break level within the fourth sport, he earned the breakthrough in his opponent’s subsequent service sport. He additional underlined his management with one other break late within the set and claimed the opener 6-2 after 40 minutes.
Within the second set, Novak lacked his standard power and it grew to become clear that he was not feeling at his finest on courtroom. Prizmic took benefit, rapidly constructing a double-break result in go up 4-0. The Croatian comfortably closed out the set 6-2 to stage the match, and obtained medical remedy on the finish of the set.
Novak seemed significantly sharper within the deciding set, however Prizmic raised his stage even additional, enjoying aggressively and forcing errors from the Serbian with sustained stress from the baseline. The important thing second got here within the fifth sport, when the Croatian secured the decisive break. Novak was unable to get better the deficit, struggling his first-ever second-round defeat in Rome.
Statistics: aces (0-3), double faults (1-2), winners (17-23), unforced errors (25-28), complete factors received (71-75).
Photograph: Profimedia
