Novak Djokovic sees funny side upon returning to the court after being struck by a water bottle from the stands

24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic has laughed off the water bottle situation which saw him leave the court in agony on Friday. Watch the incident and his reaction.

Novak Djokovic can now see the funny side. Picture: Tullio Puglia/Getty Images

World number one Novak Djokovic donned a cycling crash helmet on his way to practice to show that he was fit and ready to face Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo on Sunday afternoon.

Djokovic was left crouching in agony after being accidentally hit on the head by a hard water bottle while signing fan autographs following his 6-3, 6-1 win over France’s Corentin Moutet at the Rome Open which advanced him to the third round on Friday. But come the weekend, the 24-time grand slam champion just laughed it off.

In a video of the incident published by Italian media it was not clear whether the hard reusable bottle was launched deliberately from the stands or fell accidentally onto Djokovic’s head. On closer inspection, it was apparent it had fallen from a fan’s backpack.

He suffered only minor injuries, and on Saturday he joked “Today I came prepared” with a video of him arriving while wearing the helmet.

Today I came prepared. #IBI24pic.twitter.com/b4tRYhZ8d7

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 11, 2024

The top seed, who turns 37 a few days before Roland Garros gets underway later this month, easily won his first match since losing to Casper Ruud in the semi-finals at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Djokovic has made no secret in the past that he loves playing in Italy and with a clutch of big names either out injured or struggling he will fancy his chances of a record-extending 41st Masters 1000 crown.

Djokovic and Moutet of France at the net moments before the former was struck. Picture: Dan Istitene/Getty Images

The Rome tournament, which runs until May 19, is missing two of its biggest stars with Italian world number two Jannik Sinner and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz both withdrawing from the men’s draw before the start.

Meanwhile clay court icon Nadal had a creaky start in the first round against qualifier Zizou Bergs on Thursday and is on the opposite side of the draw to his great rival, meaning the only way that the pair could face each other would be in an unlikely final.

One of Djokovic’s potential threats, third seed Alexander Zverev, breezed into the third round with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.

And it was similar story for Djokovic, who after briefly being bamboozled by flamboyant Moutet’s array of shots slowly eased into gear, rattling off seven games in a row from 3-1 down in the first set to take control of the match.

Moutet briefly brought a smile to Djokovic and the crowd’s faces when his phone went off in the middle of an absorbing opening game of the second set, which lasted nine minutes and saw the Frenchman save four break points before giving way and allowing Djokovic to cruise to victory.

Originally published as Novak Djokovic sees funny side upon returning to the court after being struck by a water bottle from the stands