Novak Djokovic’s Rome Open streak comes to an end after opening match loss vs Dino Prizmic

Novak Djokovic returned to the court for only his third tournament of 2026, but the World No.4 was stunned in his first match at the Rome Open, falling 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 to Croatia’s Dino Prizmic. With this early exit, Djokovic bids a premature farewell to the tournament and sees one of his most remarkable records at the Foro Italico come to an end.

Following the loss to the 20-year-old Prizmic, Djokovic snapped a streak of 18 consecutive victories in his opening matches at the Rome Masters 1000. On the other side of the net, Prizmic secured his second-ever win over a Top 10 opponent, adding to his previous upset of Ben Shelton at the Madrid Masters.

Djokovic appeared dominant at the start, cruising through the first set while dropping only two games. However, physical issues became apparent in the second set, visibly hampering his movement across the clay. Prizmic seized the opportunity, shifting to an aggressive style of play and capitalizing on every opening to claim the second set and the eventual decider.

Djokovic won’t play before Roland Garros

During his post-match press conference, the Serb confirmed that he does not intend to play any further tournaments before the French Open. This means he will arrive at the year’s second Grand Slam with only one competitive match played on clay.

“No. This year, no,” said Djokovic when asked if he would enter another event before Roland Garros. “I’ll just go to Paris straight”. The decision is a notable departure from his schedule over the last two seasons, during which he competed in the Geneva Open as a warm-up for Paris.

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Djokovic says Rome preparation was ‘not ideal’

While the physical struggles during the second set were evident, Djokovic admitted that his buildup to the Italian Masters was compromised by lingering health concerns.

“I don’t recall the last time I had in the last couple years a preparation where I didn’t have any kind of physical issues or health issues coming into the tournament. There’s always something,” Djokovic told reporters during his press conference. “It’s kind of a new reality that I have to deal with. Yeah, it is frustrating. At the same time, it’s my decision to still perform in that kind of state and conditions. It is what it is”.