Tennis ace Novak Djokovic hit by water bottle from crowd

Novak Djokovic was involved in an incident in which he was struck on the top of the head by a water bottle that came from the crowd while signing autographs at the Italian Open.

Djokovic was leaving the court, taking time to greet his fans, before a water bottle fell from the audience and hit him on the head - causing him visible pain and discomfort.

While there were initial fears that Djokovic may have been the victim of a targeted assault, further footage has revealed that the bottle merely slipped out of a fan’s backpack - making the whole situation an unfortunate accident, rather than anything sinister.

Two days after the incident took place, Djokovic took on Alejandro Tabilo in the round of 32, falling to a shock defeat. He said that being struck on the head with the water bottle may have affected his performance, saying it has ‘really impacted me a lot’.

Speaking on the incident, Djokovic said [via BBC Sport]: “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. 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.

“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.”

Meanwhile, following his win over Djokovic, Tabilo said: “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.

“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.”