Uncomfortable with the conditions, uncomfortable physically, but above all uncomfortable with the excellence of Holger Rune, Novak Djokovic stumbled to his earliest defeat at the Italian Open for a decade.
For a second straight meeting with Rune, following his loss to the 20-year-old Dane at last year’s Paris Masters, Djokovic was unable to contain the younger man’s withering power and relentless energy, a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 quarter-final defeat raising further questions about his fitness with the French Open looming.
Djokovic, who skipped the Madrid Open earlier this month with an elbow injury that has dogged him since the start of the clay-court season, reportedly suffered an elbow problem in practice before his controversial victory over Cameron Norrie on Tuesday, and the world No 1 and defending champion certainly looked a shadow of his normal self in the early stages against Rune. Djokovic frequently pulled his shirt up over his face between points as he struggled to get the ball through the court in the damp, heavy conditions, although whether he was disguising a grimace or lamenting the inconsistency of his forehand, the source of 22 of his 35 unforced errors overall, was hard to tell.
As he has shown on countless occasions, however, a wounded Djokovic is still a dangerous Djokovic, and it was no surprise when, helped on his way by an infusion of painkillers and a controversial line call, the six-time champion roused himself. Despite levelling the match after a rain delay late in the second set, however, Djokovic was overrun in the decider, becoming increasingly tetchy after he was broken in the opening game.
“I think this is probably the coldest and wettest tournament I’ve ever played here in Rome,” said Djokovic.
“I don’t really recall so many days in a row raining. Obviously, in these kind of conditions, it’s very difficult to get the ball past him. He’s very, very quick. Great anticipation. Just a very talented, dynamic player, all-around player.
“He was just better. He played too good for me for most of the match. I had a bad start to the third set. I think that’s where match kind of shifted to his side. He kept his nerve and deserved to win.”
It was the latest in a series of setbacks for Djokovic, whose chequered clay-court campaign has included defeats to Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo and fellow countryman Dusan Lajovic in Banja Luka. He will still fancy his chances of overtaking Rafael Nadal by winning a 23rd grand slam title in Paris – “Yes,” he replied with a sheepish smirk when asked if he remained confident about his prospects – but the fact remains that, for the first time since 2004, neither he nor the injured Nadal will contest the Rome final. The old order is changing, with Rune in the vanguard of a new wave that includes Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“It’s really a big win for me,” said Rune. “I did it last year in Paris as well, but every match is a huge challenge for me when I play against Novak.
“Obviously he’s one of the greatest that ever played the game, so I knew I had to be at my best. I said it yesterday, and I was today.
“I’m super proud of myself and I enjoyed every moment out there.”
Well, perhaps not every moment. Serving at game point in the fifth game of the second set, Rune stopped mid-rally in the belief that a Djokovic return had gone long. Hawk-Eye replays later showed him to be correct, but the electronic line-calling system is not used during the clay-court swing and the chair umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, was having none of it, insisting the ball had hit the line. Rune promptly lost his serve and his cool.
“You are an absolute joke, man,” the Dane thundered at the next changeover, channelling the spirit of John McEnroe as he took a medical timeout for a knee problem.
Djokovic was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth and, with his opponent’s focus wavering, he seized control of the set, moving to within two points of parity before play was delayed for an hour by rain. The Serb swiftly completed the job on his return, but a succession of crucial misses cost him his serve at the start of the decider, and from there things began to unravel.
Djokovic was particularly disgruntled when he received a time violation from Lahyani despite a delay by the official in announcing the score in English after he had called it in Italian. The rules state that the time clock should start only after the score has been called, but Lahyani allowed the Serb only about 12 seconds after announcing it in English. Understandably, Djokovic was infuriated by what he perceived to be grandstanding on the part of the ever-theatrical Swedish official.
“What’s the drama of waiting between English and Italian?” Djokovic demanded. “Are you acting here, or what?
“Why do you call the score for 20 seconds? Just call the score.”
Djokovic’s sense of frustration will not have been eased by the news that Nadal is to hold a press conference at his academy in Mallorca on Thursday afternoon, the expectation being that he will withdraw from the French Open. The absence of the 14-time champion would represent a huge opportunity for the rest of the field and Djokovic, twice a winner in Paris, would hope to be at the head of the queue.
“I know I can always play better,” said Djokovic. “Definitely I am looking forward to working on various aspects of my game, of my body, hopefully getting myself in 100% shape. That’s the goal.
“I always like my chances in grand slams against anybody on any surface, best of five [sets]. Let’s see how it goes.”
Rune, meanwhile, will face Casper Ruud in the semi-finals for the first time since a stormy quarter-final meeting at Roland Garros last year ended in a frosty handshake and claims, denied by the Norwegian, of a feud that spilled over into the locker room. Asked following his 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 quarter-final win over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo if relations between the pair had improved, Ruud’s response was priceless.
“That’s a good question,” said last year’s French and US Open finalist. “We have talked after the incident in Roland Garros and I think we both respect each other. I didn’t send him a Christmas postcard and neither did he to me, so I’m not sure if we can say that we are too close, but it’s great to see Scandinavian success.”