Novak Djokovic’s 2026 debut clay-court run lasted just two hours and 17 minutes. The six-time Italian Open champion crashed out of the ongoing tournament in his first match on Friday, May 8.
Djokovic, seeded third, had received a direct entry to the second round, where he faced Croatian youngster Dino Prižmić.
Novak Djokovic Refuses To Take Credit Away From Dino Prizmic After Italian Open Defeat
Prižmić, presently ranked World No. 79, failed to receive direct main-draw entry when the list was finalized. The Croat contested the qualifiers, beating Chris Rodesch and Federico Bondioli in straight sets to book his place in the draw. He secured a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win against Márton Fucsovics in the first round to confirm Djokovic as his next opponent.
During his 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Prižmić, the Serb seemingly struggled with stomach issues. In his post-match press conference, though, he refused to share details on his health, shifting the focus back to his 20-year-old opponent.
“I hope you understand I will not talk about that. I want to congratulate Dino. Deservedly the winner today,” he said.
Djokovic was hoping to get more matches under his belt ahead of the French Open. The Serb, who won the Geneva Open last year, has decided against competing this time. Instead of playing in the week before the Grand Slam, he has opted to go directly to Paris.
“Yeah, came in to have a match or more. Unfortunately, only a match. It’s all right. I’m pleased at least that I fought till the end. I want to thank the crowd. It was incredible once again. I mean, the support and love that I’ve been getting, it’s something I don’t take for granted,” he said.
Prižmić’s threat wasn’t a surprise to the Serb, who held a 1-0 advantage in the head-to-head record before the match in Rome. Although he lost their previous encounter at the 2024 Australian Open, the 20-year-old fearlessly challenged Djokovic and pushed him to four sets.
After losing the Italian Open match, Djokovic assessed performance. “It was okay. I don’t think I played so bad, to be honest. The second set was something to forget, obviously, the way I felt on the court. But the first and third was good. It was okay. It was a good battle in the end.”
“Obviously, I see what I’m missing. Late half a step. I’m not definitely where I want to be for the highest level and to compete at the highest level and to be able to get far,” he added.
The 38-year-old’s appearance in Rome was highly anticipated. He hadn’t competed in two months, after his Indian Wells loss to Jack Draper. Djokovic was compromised by a right shoulder injury, which forced him to pull out of multiple tournaments. The Italian Open was just his third tournament of 2026.
“Eventually you have to play. You have to start somewhere. I wanted to start earlier, but I couldn’t. So yeah, that’s what it is. The situation is as it is. You just adapt to it and make the most out of it.”
“I train hard. I train as much as the body allows me to. Then how it turns out on the court, that’s really unpredictable,” he added.
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The opening-match defeat was Djokovic’s first at the Italian Open. Besides winning the tournament six times, he also reached six other finals. His only early losses came in 2024, where he lost in the third round, and in 2026 against Prižmić.
