Serbian Novak Djokovic lost to a rising Croatian player who is 18 years younger than him at the Rome Masters 1000 on Friday, in his first match back after a two-month absence because of a right shoulder injury.
The 20-year-old Dino Prizmic beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion 2–6, 6–2, 6–4.
Djokovic, who is 38, had not played since losing to Britain’s Jack Draper in the fourth round of Indian Wells in March. A medical strap was visible on his right shoulder after he changed shirts between sets.
The six-time Rome champion is now preparing for the French Open, which begins on 24 May. In the only other tournament he has played this year, Djokovic reached the Australian Open final before losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
Prizmic, ranked 79th in the world, had already beaten American Ben Shelton, the sixth seed, last month to reach the third round of the Madrid Open. After the match, he said: “He is my idol. I played an incredible match today.
