Rome: A day after he was hit on his head with a water bottle as he signed autographs after winning a match, Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic went to sign autographs at the Italian Open wearing a helmet here on Saturday. Djokovic said he was "fine" after accidentally getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open.
The six-time Rome champion returned to the venue on Saturday for practice and approached the fans to sign autographs with a helmet on. "Today I came prepared," he wrote on social media.
A man was leaning over the railing to hand Djokovic a notebook for a signature and an aluminum-type water bottle fell out of his backpack and hit the top-ranked player on the top of his head on Friday.
"Thank you for the messages of concern. This was an accident and I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack," Djokovic posted on X. "See you all on Sunday."
After getting hit, Djokovic placed both of his hands on his head and then curled up on the ground as a security guard shielded him. Then he was helped down the tunnel into the locker room.
Djokovic had a bump on his head and he was checked by doctors, tournament organizers said. He did not hold his usual post-match news conference.
"While leaving center court after his match, Novak Djokovic was hit on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs. He received medical attention and has already left the Foro Italico to return to his hotel. His condition is not a cause for concern," organisers said in a statement.
Djokovic had a bit of blood on his head but did not require stitches, Italian Tennis Federation spokesman Alessandro Catapano said. "He was upset, but he seems OK," Catapano said.
"We're also very upset about what happened and we are trying to figure out who it was and understand the dynamics. The police came and asked for information but the person who did it had already left," Catapano added. We're going through all of the video and camera angles to see if we can determine what exactly happened."
The incident occurred shortly after Djokovic's 6-3 6-1 win over French qualifier Corentin Moutet in his opening match. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was returning after nearly a month off. Djokovic has a day off before his next scheduled match at the clay-court tournament on Sunday.
The 36-year-old Serb is preparing to defend his title at the French Open, which starts May 26.
