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Djokovic looked far from his best and the
36-year-old blamed Friday's "unfortunate" incident where he was
accidentally struck on the head by a fan's water bottle while
signing autographs after his second-round win.
"That has really impacted me a lot. After that I got medical
care, been through half-an-hour, an hour of nausea, dizziness
and blood," Djokovic told a news conference, adding that he
would go for scans later.
"I managed to sleep okay, I had headaches. The next day, or
yesterday, was pretty fine, so I thought it's okay. Maybe it is
okay, maybe it's not.
"The way I felt on the court today was just completely like a
different player entered into my shoes. Just no rhythm, no
tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. It's a bit
concerning."
The victory made the 26-year-old Tabilo -- who won a Challenger
Tour tournament two weeks ago -- the first Chilean in 17 years
to beat a world number one since Fernando Gonzalez beat Roger
Federer at the ATP Finals in 2007.
"It's incredible. I came on court just looking around and
soaking it all in, trying to process everything. I'm trying to
wake up right now," said Tabilo, who is ranked number 32 in the
world.
The result also means Djokovic -- who made a double fault on
match point -- has failed to reach a single final in 2024 and
has played only six matches on clay in the build-up to the
French Open.
The Serbian had reached the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo
Masters but a premature exit in Rome could hamper his
preparations for Roland Garros where the year's second Grand
Slam begins on May 26.
When asked about his French Open chances, Djokovic said:
"Everything needs to be better for me to have at least a chance
to win it."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson
and Clare Fallon) [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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