Novak Djokovic has suffered the earliest exit from the Italian Open of his career after falling in straight sets to an inspired Alejandro Tabilo in the third round.
The world No.1 struggled for consistency throughout his shock 6-2, 6-4, defeat to the Chilean who had never beaten a top 10 player on the Tour until today. Djokovic experienced significant issues with his serve with the Serbian getting broken four times and appeared to be visibly unsettled. Rushing through the match and taking little time between points or games.
It was a perplexing performance from the lackluster 24-time Grand Slam champion who was playing in his first tournament since Monte Carlo after opting to skip Madrid. Just two days ago Djokovic looked to be in form with a 6-3, 6-1, win over qualifier Corentin Moutet before an unfortunate mishap occurred afterwards with a fan accidentally dropping a mental bottle onto his head from the stands.
However, Djokovic was far from his best on Sunday as his nightmare match ended with the crowd booing him off of the court at the Faro Italico.
Meanwhile, nothing should be taken away from an impressive Tabilo who is the first player to beat Djokovic without facing a single break point since Alexander Zverev did so at the same tournament in 2017. He is the first man from his country to beat a current No.1 on the Tour since Fernando Gonzalez beat Roger Federer at the 2007 ATP Finals.
“I came on court just looking around, trying to soak it all in and trying to process everything. Now I just can’t believe it. I’m trying to wake up right now,” Tabilo said afterwards.
“I was trying to keep my nerves and keep swinging. Obviously, every time you feel like you’re close to the end your arms feel a little tired. I was trying not to think about that and play point-by-point.
“It’s crazy. I can’t believe this happened.”
Djokovic’s defeat comes exactly two weeks before the start of the French Open where he is aiming to defend his title. He is still yet to win a title this season with his most recent triumph occurring last November at the ATP Finals in Turin.
As for Tabilo, he will next play Karen Khachanov for a place in his first Masters 1000 quarter-final at the age of 26.
