Novak Djokovic has been eliminated from the Italian Open in Rome after losing to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic in his opening match, raising fresh questions about the 38-year-old’s fitness ahead of the French Open later this month.
Prizmic won 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 on Friday at the Foro Italico, overturning a first-set deficit to beat the three-time Paris champion and record the biggest victory of his career. Djokovic, who was seeded third at the Masters 1000 tournament, had not played a competitive match since Indian Wells in March following a shoulder injury.
Djokovic admits physical struggles
Djokovic visibly tired from the second set, repeatedly placing his hands on his knees between points. After the match, the former world number one praised his opponent and acknowledged the difficulty of his situation without elaborating on his physical condition.
“I hope you understand I will not talk about that. I want to congratulate Dino. Deservedly the winner today,” Djokovic said. “I’m pleased at least that I fought till the end. I want to thank the crowd. It was incredible once again.”
The Serbian confirmed he would travel directly to Paris and skip any further clay-court preparation. He admitted his build-up had been far from ideal. “I don’t recall last time I had in the last couple years a preparation where I didn’t have any kind of physical issues or health issues coming into the tournament. There’s always something,” he said.
A record-breaking run under pressure
The defeat marked the first time in Djokovic’s career that he had lost his opening match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. He had previously won the Rome title six times and holds the record for the most ATP Masters 1000 titles, with 40 in total.
Djokovic has now played only four tournaments in 2026 after missing the Monte Carlo Masters, the Miami Open and the Madrid Open with the shoulder problem. His ranking, currently fourth in the PIF ATP Rankings, is under pressure from Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime, both within reach of his position.
French Open and the chase for Grand Slam 25
Roland Garros begins on 25 May. Djokovic, a three-time champion in Paris, is targeting a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. His pursuit has been given an unexpected boost after defending champion Carlos Alcaraz confirmed he will miss the tournament with a wrist injury.
With Alcaraz absent, world number one Jannik Sinner is widely considered the strong favourite for the title. Former British number one Greg Rusedski has argued the Italian’s dominance in 2026 makes him the man to beat in Paris, though he acknowledged Djokovic remains a factor on clay despite his injury setbacks.
Prizmic and the wider Rome draw
Prizmic, 20, now advances to the third round in Rome, becoming the first Croatian man to reach that stage at the tournament since Borna Coric in 2023. The qualifier had previously pushed Djokovic to four sets at the 2024 Australian Open as an 18-year-old.
Second seed Alexander Zverev and third-round contender Lorenzo Musetti, who is bidding to become the first Italian winner of the Rome title since Adriano Panatta in 1976, both progressed on the same day.
Rome as a tennis travel destination
The Internazionali BNL d’Italia is staged each May at the Foro Italico, a sports complex set against the backdrop of the Tiber river and the Monte Mario hill in northern Rome. The tournament draws hundreds of thousands of spectators over its two-week run and sits among the most prestigious clay-court events on the ATP and WTA calendars ahead of Roland Garros.
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