Former world number one Novak Djokovic lost to 20-year-old qualifier Dino Prizmic in the second round of the Rome Masters.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, began the ATP 1000 tournament in Rome in the second round. His first opponent was Prizhmic, the winner of the qualifier who had then advanced to the first round.
The former world number one took the lead in the match by winning the set 6:2. However, Djokovic lost the next two sets: first with the same score 2:6, and in the decisive, third set, one break in favor of Prižmić allowed the Croatian to win with a score of 6:4.
By making a comeback in the match against Djokovic, Prižmić, who is the 79th racket of the world, became the author of a historic achievement. The Croatian tennis player became the first in history to achieve a strong-willed victory over Djokovic in the status of a qualifier and at the same time with the lowest place in the world ranking, OptaAce reports on its page in X.
Prizhmych also became one of five tennis players who beat former Rome Masters champions under the age of 21. So far, Marat Safin, Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, and Holger Rune have managed to do this.
“I want to congratulate Dino [Prizmic], who deservedly became the winner,” Djokovic said, as quoted by ESPN. “I started the tournament to play a match or more. Unfortunately, I only managed to play one, it's okay. I'm glad at least that I fought until the end.”
“To be honest, I've had less than perfect preparation,” Djokovic added, as quoted by The Guardian. “I can't remember the last time in the last couple of years that I've had a preparation where I didn't have any physical or health issues before a tournament. There's always something. It's like a new reality that I have to deal with, it's annoying. At the same time, it's my choice to continue playing in this condition and conditions.”
At the ATP 1000 level, Djokovic was last eliminated in the second round at the Madrid Masters in 2025. In total, the Serb participated in only five ATP 1000 tournaments that year: he stopped at this stage of the competition three times, but reached the final in Miami.