Novak Djokovic loses to Prizmić

Tennis upsets usually need one of two things — a star playing badly, or a young player refusing to blink. Rome got both. Novak Djokovic came back from a two-month layoff on Friday, took the first set, then faded badly enough for Dino Prižmić, a 20-year-old qualifier, to beat him 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the Italian Open second round. That matters because Rome is usually one of Djokovic’s safest stops on clay, and because the French Open is now right around the corner. ### Why is this such a big shock? Because Djokovic basically never loses his first match in Rome. Before this, he had won his opening match at the tournament 18 straight times and built a reputation for using the Foro Italico as a clean runway into Paris. Losing early anywhere is notable for him. Losing early here, to a qualifier, after winning the first set, lands harder. (atptour.com) ### Who is Dino Prižmić? He’s one of the better young clay-court prospects coming through, but this is still a huge jump. Prižmić came into the match ranked No. 79, 18 years younger than Djokovic, and had to qualify just to get into the main draw. This win sends him into the third round and gives him a second career victory over a Top 10 player, which is the kind of stat that makes people stop calling you “promising” and start taking you seriously. (atptour.com) ### What changed after the first set? Djokovic’s level dropped, and Prižmić kept leaning in. Djokovic looked sharp early — especially around the net — and controlled the opener 6-2. Then the match flipped fast. Prižmić opened the second set by taking the first four games, started dictating longer rallies, and made Djokovic hit one extra ball over and over. On clay, that’s the slow squeeze — not a knockout punch, more like a ratchet tightening. (novakdjokovic.com) ### Did Djokovic look physically off? Yes, and that’s part of why this result feels more worrying than random. This was his first tour-level match in 57 days, after time out with a right shoulder issue, and several match reports noted that he appeared uncomfortable physically during the loss. Even if you don’t want to overread one match, the movement and stamina were not close to peak Djokovic by the end. (atptour.com) ### Why does the timing matter so much? Because Rome is supposed to be the last big clay tune-up before Roland-Garros. Djokovic has played only sparingly in 2026, and this was just his third tournament of the season. So instead of leaving Rome with more match reps and maybe a few confidence-building wins, he leaves with one loss and fresh doubts about rhythm, fitness, and where his baseline game actually is right now. (olympics.com) ### What does this do to the draw? It blows open Djokovic’s section immediately. A top seed going out that early changes the math for everyone nearby — lower seeds suddenly see a cleaner path, and Prižmić gets the kind of opening that can turn one upset into a real run. Rome always has chaos, but removing Djokovic on day one of his campaign is not normal chaos. (bolavip.com) ### So what should we make of Djokovic now? Not that he’s done — that would be lazy. But the old assumption, that Djokovic can show up after a break and instantly look inevitable, took a real hit here. Age, rust, and recovery are now part of the conversation every week, not just in theory. Prižmić earned this. But Djokovic made it matter beyond one match because he looked vulnerable in one of the places he used to look automatic. (apnews.com) ### Bottom line The result is simple: Prižmić got the biggest win of his career, and Djokovic lost one of his safest clay-court habits. The bigger story is what comes next — Paris is close, and Djokovic suddenly looks like a contender with questions instead of the answer. (sofascore.com) (apnews.com)