By Victor Kanayo
Two tennis giants – Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are out of the Italian Open, preparatory to the 2024 French Open, one of the major annual Grand Slams which kicks off on May 20.
This is after the duo lost at round of 32 and 64 respectively to their opponents in Rome.
Tabilo Shocker Strings
On Sunday, Djokovic’s conqueror Alejandro Tabilo pulled a major upset at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, where he defeated six-time champion 6-2, 6-3 with a powerful third-round performance.
With his win, Tabilo advanced to the fourth round at a Masters 1000 event for the second time after he reached that stage in Indian Wells in 2023.
The Chilean’s next opponent in Rome will be 16th seed Karen Khachanov, who earlier defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 6-4.
Sunday’s win is another milestone in an excellent 2024 so far for Tabilo, who arrived in Rome at a career-high No. 32 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
The 26-year-old lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy in the opening week of the season in Auckland, and he is now 17-9 for the season after also reaching a championship match on home soil in February in Santiago.
Serbian Title Struggles
Defeat in Rome leaves Djokovic still chasing his first title of the season.
The 36-year-old is next set to chase his record-extending 25th major title at Roland Garros, where he is the defending champion.
Another Grand Slam Champion’s Squeeze
Also at the weekend, Rafael Nadal exited the Italian Open in the round of 64 after a 6-1 6-3 loss to Hubert Hurkacz.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner had to battle back from one set down against Zizou Bergs in his opening match at the Masters 1000 tournament, but was unable to recreate this performance against Hurkacz.
Nadal had won the Italian Open a record 10 times, finishing with 70 victories and nine defeats.
