Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome, falling to 20-year-old Croatian Dino Prižmić, ranked 79th in the world, with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 4-6.
As the third seed, Djokovic received a first-round bye and began his campaign in the second round. This marks the first time in his career that he has lost his opening match at the Rome Masters, a tournament he has won six times, most recently in 2022.
Djokovic, currently ranked fourth in the world, played his first match since March 12 after missing the Masters events in Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid due to a right shoulder injury.
Prižmić will face either Frenchman Hugo Umber or Czech Vit Kopriva in the next round.
The Rome Masters, with a prize fund of €8.235 million, runs until May 17.
