Novak Djokovic says he felt hampered by the after-effects of being hit on the head by a bottle as he fell to a shock Italian Open defeat by Alejandro Tabilo.

The world number one was accidentally struck by the water bottle as he signed autographs following his second-round win over Corentin Moutet on Friday.

He struggled to find any rhythm against Tabilo on Sunday, with the Chilean needing just 67 minutes to win the third-round match 6-2 6-3.

“That has really impacted me a lot. After that I got medical care, [and went] through half-an-hour [to] an hour of nausea, dizziness and blood,” said Djokovic.

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The Serb initially made light of the incident when he jokingly wore a bicycle helmet to training on Saturday, but says he will now have further scans.

“I managed to sleep OK, I had headaches. The next day, or yesterday, was pretty fine, so I thought it’s OK. Maybe it is OK, maybe it’s not,” he added.

“The way I felt on the court today was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes.

“Just no rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. It’s a bit concerning.”

It was a first career victory over a top-10 ranked opponent for Tabilo, who is ranked 32nd in the world.

The 26-year-old was dominant throughout, breaking Djokovic’s serve four times and not conceding a single break point.

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“It’s incredible. I came on court just looking around and soaking it all in, trying to process everything. I’m trying to wake up right now,” said Tabilo.

“I was just trying to keep my nerves and keep swinging. Every time you feel like you are close to the end your arms get a little tighter.

“I was just trying not to think about it and take it point by point. It’s crazy, I can’t believe what’s happened.”

Tabilo is the first Chilean to beat a world number one since Fernando Gonzalez beat Roger Federer at the ATP Finals in 2007.

He will play Karen Khachanov in the next round after the Russian 16th seed beat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 6-2 6-4

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It means six-time champion Djokovic will fail to reach at least the quarter-finals in Rome for the first time since 2006.

The 36-year-old, who is yet to reach a final in 2024, has played just six matches on clay this year as he prepares for the defence of his French Open title.

The tournament at Roland Garros begins on 26 May.

Elsewhere, Aryna Sabalenka eased through to the last 16 in Rome with a comfortable straight-set win over Dayana Yastremska.

The Belarusian Australian Open champion did not drop a single service game as she beat Ukrainian Yastremska 6-4 6-2 in one hour 28 minutes.

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She will play Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the next round after the two-time winner breezed past Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-3.

Madrid will take center stage as the global capital of sport on Monday, April 22, as the prestigious Laureus Awards celebrates its 25th edition at the Cibeles Palace.

A host of sports stars will grace the red carpet for this annual awards ceremony that honors outstanding sportsmen and women from around the world.

Novak Djokovic is looking for his sixth title in the California desert, which would break the record he shares with Federer.

Novak Djokovic wants it all. The best tennis player who ever wielded a racket so far arrived on Saturday to claim an impressive victory at the Indian Wells Masters 1000, the first tournament of the category in the calendar and that he had not played since 2019, between the pandemic and a vaccine against COVID-19.

Novak Djokovic had not played for five years but made it look like he played yesterday

Djokovic is poised to get a new record in the California desert. The six titles would break the all-time high of five that he currently shares with Roger Federer.

The Serb, who defeated Alexandar Vukic 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, has now reached 400 Masters 1000 victories, the only other player to have more than him is Rafael Nada with 406. A record that the Mallorcan could lose when they meet in just two weeks in Miami.

The 24-time major champion will face in the third round of Indian Wells the Italian ‘lucky loser’ as some call Luca Nardi, who defeated the Chinese Zhang, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The tennis player from Belgrade, who turns 37 on May 22, lives an eternal youth: “It’s been five years since I last played here and it seems like yesterday,” he claimed.

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At this point, Novak Djokovic has skin in the game and he’s preparing, like when he traveled to the Coachella Valley a week earlier (he was on the plane with Nadal on Thursday, February 22) to get used to the playing surface and the balls.

He had time to play soccer with the other tennis players on the natural grass lawn reserved for the pros at the Tennis Garden and share a charity event with Charlize Theron herself.