Rome, Novak Djokovic out in surprise: feat of Alejandro Tabilo

Novak Djokovic eliminated by Alejandro Tabilo

The third round of the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome gives a result that to say a surprise also seems reductive: the world number 1 Novak Djokovic è in fact fell in the presence of the clieno Alejandro Tabilo (n.32 ATP), able to win the match of the sunny afternoon of the Capital in unexpected ease: 6-2, 6-3 the partials of a match that lasted just 68 minutes.

Djokovic seemed underwhelmed from the first bars: he immediately went down 4-0 in a first set that left the fans in the stands stunned, given also the inability to find countermeasures to the blows of the opponent of the day, who yielded only two games to the highest-ranked Serbian champion.

Those expecting a reaction in the second set were immediately disappointed: Tabilo made the first game his on Nole’s serve, who continued to struggle and failed to reverse the inertia. In the ninth game the first break ball è also the one for the match: Tabilo makes no mistake and closes it immediately, going for a victory he will remember for a long time.

So the somewhat below-expectation 2024 continues on Djokovic’s part: the Serb has yet to win a tournament this year, reaching at most the semifinals at the Australian Open (beaten by Jannik Sinner) and Monte Carlo (defeated by Casper Ruud). For Tabilo è on the other hand, confirmation of a positive moment to say the least: before coming to Rome, the Chilean had made the Aix-en-Provence Challenger his own, beating Jaume Munar in the final.