Novak Djokovic took a setback in Rome before he has even stepped onto court for his first match at the Italian Open. The 24-time major winner lost a practice set 6-2 to Arthur Fils on court three in front of a packed crowd.
Djokovic, who has won the Italian Open six times, had not played a competitive match since losing to Jack Draper in the third round of Indian Wells. He was preparing for his first clay-court event of the season when he practiced in Rome with Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Ignacio Buse, then faced Fils in a set that drew plenty of attention.
Fils has been one of the players moving steadily into view this spring. The Frenchman reached the final of the Qatar Open in February and won his first ATP title of the year at the Barcelona Open last month. Against Djokovic in Rome, he made the most of the unusual practice spotlight and took the set convincingly.
The broader tournament picture gives Djokovic a path that should still favor him, even if Rome has offered an awkward start. He is the third seed and is on the opposite side of the draw from Jannik Sinner, while Carlos Alcaraz is missing the tournament with a wrist injury. Djokovic will await the winner of the first-round match between Marton Fucsovics and Dino Prizmic.
That possible meeting with Prizmic carries its own history. Djokovic beat the Croatian at the 2024 Australian Open and later described that match as a brutal test, saying there were some gruelling rallies, very physical games, and almost four hours for four sets. He added that it felt at one point as if he was playing himself in a mirror.
The practice loss will not alter the draw, but it does underline how little competitive rhythm Djokovic has had since Indian Wells. For a player trying to launch his clay season with another run in Rome, the question is not whether he can handle the favorites tag. It is how quickly he can turn a rough start into the kind of level that has carried him to six titles here before.
