Novak Djokovic suffers shocking loss to Alejandro Tabilo at Rome Open with more questions than answers ahead of Roland Garros
ATPSunday, 12 May 2024 at 16:10
With the demise of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in particular in recent weeks, Novak Djokovic was installed as the favourite ahead of the Rome Open and also Roland Garros. But it seems like those expectations need to be tempered as he was easily beaten by Alejandro Tabilo on Sunday afternoon 6-2, 6-3.
Tabilo, the current World No.32 and the 29th seed is playing the tennis of his life as of late winning his maiden ATP title earlier this year. But of course Djokovic is a different kettle of fish but one in which many players find their best to deny him and this was the case here.
Usually Djokovic starts slow and he builds into a game, but in this case he didn't as Tabilo seemed to suffocate the life out of any sort of charge. The Chilean went a double break up in the opening set 3-0 and Djokovic barely got a look in as he romped to a 6-2 opening set over the World No.1.
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Djokovic was broken in the very first game of the second set as he fell behind 1-0 and Tabilo built on that advantage until the back end of the set as neither player really got a look in on their respective serves. Tabilo went 4-2 and 5-3 up but also broke again to seal the win. Many would show nerves when serving out a win over the great Serbian, but Tabilo didn't and as he did throughout kept his nerve to truly thump Djokovic.
Potential fingers may get pointed about the fact the bottle fell on his head and the after effects of that. Daniil Medvedev for instance spoke yesterday about hitting his head at Wimbledon then losing to Marcus Willis the following day. But the proof will now be at Roland Garros. Perhaps too it isn't too much of a shock given Djokovic's lack of game time as of late. Tabilo will now face Karen Khachanov in the Last 16.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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