Less than 24 hours after being struck with an aluminum water bottle, Novak Djokovic returned to the Foro Italico, armed and ready to pick up where he left off.
The World No. 1 secured a straight sets victory over Corentin Moutet on Friday in front of a packed crowd inside Court Centrale to kick off his Italian Open campaign. But it was an incident after the match that left a sour taste during the night for all involved, including the tournament.
Djokovic was accidentally hit by a water bottle that slipped from a fan's backpack. At the time, the top seed was busy signing autographs near the main court's exit. The sheer force of the metal bottle caused Djokovic to fall to the floor.
It was a shocking moment that garnered serious attention. Djokovic was transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment but was later released to return to his hotel.
Djokovic would tweet later during the night that he was "fine" and "resting" and termed the situation as an "accident". He has also confirmed that he will play his third-round match on Sunday despite fears that he might withdraw from the tournament.
The Serb returned to the Foro Italico on Saturday morning for practice and had a more open session to meet and sign autographs for the second time in less than 24 hours since the freak accident.
He observed all the preventive measures to ensure that he protected himself from such danger, including wearing a bike helmet on top of his cap. Djokovic saw the funny side of it and burst out laughing, as did some of the fans he met.
The incident has once again rekindled the discussion of how easily accessible tennis players are, especially considering Djokovic could have sustained a more serious injury. It will be interesting to see if the tournament will instill additional restrictions to prevent such occurrences.
0 Comments