Novak Djokovic makes his return from injury with a second-round match against Dino Prižmić at the Italian Open. The Serb will hope to make a strong start at a venue that has been a happy hunting ground for him with six titles to his name. But Prižmić has enjoyed a strong start to the clay-court swing and will be determined to claim the biggest win of his young career.
Novak Djokovic vs Dino Prižmić Match Details
Date: May 8, 2026
Tournament: Italian Open 2026
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Djokovic vs Prižmić Head-to-Head Record
These two players have met once on the ATP Tour, and Prižmić gave Djokovic a scare, taking him to four sets at the 2024 Australian Open.
Two years on, and the Croatian is showcasing his potential on clay. He made the final of the Challenger event in Monza last month, before defeating Matteo Berrettini and Ben Shelton en route to the third round of the Madrid Open.
Prižmić made the main draw in Rome after comfortable wins in both his qualifying matches, and started his main-draw run by comfortably dispatching Márton Fucsovics in the first round.
Djokovic will make his return to action after a two-month absence. The Serb has an excellent record in Rome and will be eager to perform well after missing last year’s tournament entirely due to injury.
The 38-year-old will fancy his chances of a deep run at the French Open in Carlos Alcaraz’s absence as he continues his bid to win a record 25th Grand Slam. And a strong performance in Rome would go a long way in helping him generate some momentum heading into Roland Garros.
Djokovic’s win-loss record in 2026 reads 7-2, but this will be only his third tournament of the year.
Djokovic vs Prižmić Prediction and Pick
Djokovic is one of the best all-surface players to ever play on the ATP Tour, but he might have some rust to shake off on Thursday, as this will be his first match since his fourth-round exit at Indian Wells in mid-March.
Prižmić is playing strong tennis at the moment and will look to draw on the performance he showed when these two players met at the 2024 Australian Open. The Croatian is also coming off an impressive win over Shelton. So he will certainly not be short of confidence against an underprepared Djokovic.
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We are backing the Serb to get the win in his Rome opener, but Prižmić could pose him with a few roadblocks.
Pick – Djokovic in three sets.
