ROME — Novak Djokovic slumped to an early elimination from the Italian Open on Friday, crumbling to a second-round defeat at the hands of qualifier Dino Prizmic which leaves question marks about his physical condition ahead of Roland Garros.
Tennis icon Djokovic was sent packing by big-hitting Croatian Prizmic, who claimed the biggest scalp of his young career with a stunning 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 win on centre court in Rome.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam winner, was making his comeback from a shoulder injury in the last big tournament before the French Open, which starts later this month.
And the world No. 4 was unsure as to whether he would be back to his best for the clay-court Grand Slam, simply saying “I hope so” when asked by reporters whether Paris would see the all-conquering “Nole” of old.
“Let’s see what happens,” said Djokovic, who lamented persistent physical problems in the twilight of his stellar career.
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“I don’t recall the last time in the last couple of years of preparation where I didn’t have any physical issues coming into a tournament,” said Djokovic.
“It’s always something, it’s kind of a new reality that I have to deal with.”
Djokovic wore shoulder strappings in his first tournament since losing in the last 16 at Indian Wells in March, after pulling out of tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid.
He hadn’t previously been knocked out this early in a tournament since the Madrid Open last year, and he looked a long way from the player who has won six titles at the Foro Italico.
He breezed into a one-set lead but then buckled under the weight of Prizmic’s powerful hitting which has led to the 20-year-old rising to a career-high world ranking of 79.
Prizmic has beaten two top 10 players in a matter of weeks with sixth-ranked Ben Shelton succumbing in the second round in Madrid last month.