“It was unexpected obviously,” Djokovic recalled. “I wasn’t even looking up. Then I felt a very strong hit in the head. That has, yeah, really impacted me a lot. After that I got the medical care. Been through half an hour, an hour of nausea, dizziness, blood, a lot of different things.
“I managed to sleep okay. I had headaches. The next day or yesterday was pretty fine, so I thought it’s okay. Maybe it is okay. Maybe it’s not.”
He returned to the tournament on Saturday trying to make light of the accident, donning a bicycle helmet atop his cap while signing autographs after his practice. Though Djokovic felt no apparent discomfort in practice, the 24-time Grand Slam champion described his state against Tabilo completely differently.
“I mean, the way I felt on the court today was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes. Just no rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. It’s a bit concerning.”
Djokovic is next scheduled to compete at Roland Garros, where he is the defending champion.
