Tennis Pro Novak Djokovic Falls to the Ground After Freak Accident With Metal Water Bottle at Italian Open

Novak Djokovic

Tennis pro Novak Djokovic had an unexpected fault after his first-round match at the Italian Open.

Following his victory over French player Corentin Moutet on Friday, May 10, Djokovic was signing autographs in the crowd when he was struck in the head with a flying water bottle that ended up knocking him to the ground.

In videos of the freak accident shared to X (formerly Twitter), the 36-year-old athlete wrote his name on what looked to be a fan's score sheet when a large water bottle fell straight on his head, causing him to immediately cover his head with his hands and kneel to the ground in pain.

Although some viewers online initially thought the water bottle was thrown Djokovic's way, it was later confirmed to have fallen out of someone's bag and accidentally strike the tennis phenom.

Luckily, Djokovic eventually walked out of the stadium while security personnel huddled around him to attend to his injury. One fan on X said Djokovic was "bleeding" after the incident, but there hasn't been any confirmation about how bad the injury really was.

"Well, I am relieved to hear it was accidental. Thank goodness," one person wrote on X after seeing the clip.

Despite the incident being an accident, fans online were still enraged by the video, as Djokovic clearly could have been seriously injured. Some people also began questioning why large backpacks are allowed into the stadiums in the first place.

"People need to chill w the massive backpacks in general," one person wrote. "how much stuff do you need to watch a tennis match?"

"Oh my god. Just ban water bottles from the stadium. We need to keep our Goat safe!" someone else lamented.

Fortunately, Djokovic seems to be doing just fine. He offered an update via X, writing, "Thank you for the messages of concern. This was an accident and I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack. See you all on Sunday."

He was even able to make light of the situation by showing up to sign more autographs for fans at Forto Italico—this time, wearing a bike helmet on his head.

"Today I came prepared," he wrote on X alongside the lighthearted video that showed him engaging with fans without the danger of any massive flying water bottles.

"You are the best. Never change," one of his fans gushed, while another person called the moment truly "iconic."

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