May 11, (THEWILL) – World number one, Novak Djokovic, was hit on the head by a bottle thrown from the crowd after his second-round victory at the Rome Masters tournament, causing the 36-year-old Serbian to collapse in pain. The shocking incident occurred shortly after Djokovic completed a 6-3 6-1 win over France’s Corentin Moutet.
Djokovic had just finished signing autographs for fans when the bottle, thought to be either plastic or metal, struck him from a height. Footage quickly spread on social media showing the moment the object hit Djokovic’s head, causing him to immediately grab his head in agony before dropping to his knees and then the ground.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion was swiftly shielded by security staff and withdrawn from the arena. No immediate information was provided on Djokovic’s condition following the incident. It remains unclear whether the bottle was thrown deliberately at the tennis star or if it was an unfortunate accident.
The shocking scenes overshadowed Djokovic’s comfortable progression into the third round in Rome. Security will likely face questions about how the projectile was able to reach a player on court. It is reminiscent of the number of similar unsavoury crowd incidents around the sport in 2023.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
