Tennis star Novak Djokovic was struck in the head by a fan’s aluminum water bottle at the Italian Open on Friday.
Though the 36-year-old Serbian athlete was initially bleeding from the impact, he now says he’s “fine.”
The incident took place as Djokovic was leaving the court following his opening-round victory, when a person in the stands appeared to reach down to try to catch his attention.
Il y a quand même des enculés sur Terre…
Stay strong Novak 💪🔥#Djokovic #IBI24 #ATPRome pic.twitter.com/OLRWJYWfB7— Martinho (@DelMartin0) May 10, 2024
While bending over, an aluminum bottle slid out of the side pocket of the man’s backpack and fell directly on Djokovic’s head, as could be seen in video circulating online.
The current No. 1 ranked singles player in the world then fell to the ground and clasped his hands over his head, seeming to be in significant pain as staff members attended to him and eventually ushered him into the tunnel.
“Thank you for the messages of concern. This was an accident and I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack,” Djokovic later posted on X.
“See you all on Sunday,” he added, referring to his upcoming match against Alejandro Tabilo in the Italian Open’s round of 32.
Tournament organizers later confirmed Djokovic had a bump on his head and had “a bit of blood,” but did not require stitches after consulting doctors.
“He was upset, but he seems OK,” added Italian Tennis Federation spokesman Alessandro Catapano. “We’re also very upset about what happened and we are trying to figure out who it was and understand the dynamics.”
While footage posted online clearly shows the fan leaning over and the bottle slipping out accidentally, although the man’s identity has not been publicly confirmed.
With News Wire Services
