WATCH: Novak Djokovic breaks into a smile as Italian Open 2R opponent Corentin Moutet's phone alarm goes off mid-match
Novak Djokovic's Italian Open match against Corentin Moutet was bizarrely interrupted. Moutet's phone, which was kept inside his kitbag, rang and the Frenchman had to silence it.
Moutet won his first-round clash against Roman Safiullin 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2.
Djokovic, on the other hand, began his Italian Open campaign against Moutet. The Serbian last played at the Monte-Carlo Masters and reached the semifinals where faced a defeat against Norwegian Casper Ruud.
The World No. 1 did not participate in Barcelona and Madrid but is back to play in Rome. He convincingly won the first set 6-3 against Moutet but faced an unprecedented situation in the second set.
At deuce in the first game of the second set, Moutet was poised to serve. However, his concentration was broken due to a phone ringing very close to the court.
The Frenchman quickly realized that it was his phone alarm that was ringing and he ran towards his bench. He opened his kitbag, fetched his phone, and silenced it. Everyone saw the funny side of it including his opponent Djokovic, who broke a smile.
Watch the video of the incident below:
Although something like this interrupting play may sound extremely rare, it happened just a year ago at the same tournament.
During Iga Swiatek's quarterfinal against Elena Rybakina at the 2023 Italian Open, a phone ringing sound echoed in the stadium. The Pole realized it was her phone and much like Moutet, she hurriedly tried to silence her phone.
Novak Djokovic defeats Corentin Moutet in straight sets to advance to Italian Open 3R
Novak Djokovic did not falter in his first-round performance as he convincingly defeated Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-1 to advance into the next round of the 2024 Italian Open.
Djokovic has been away for almost a month since he last played against Casper Ruud at the Monte Carlo Masters. The Serb was asked if he has doubts about himself after he takes a long break before tournaments.
“Of course you do. You always have doubts in pretty much every single match. It’s a matter of how you deal with them and how long they stay there.. how long they overwhelm your whole being.. your mind," Djokovic said during his post match interview.
"It’s an internal battle always more than an external battle. If you win that battle, the external battle becomes a little bit more likely for you to win,” he added.
The World No. 1 will be back in action on Sunday, May 12, as he faces Alejandro Tabilo in the third round.