"You hope it's not some butthead doing something ridiculous" - Andy Roddick 'relieved' as Novak Djokovic's Italian Open head injury deemed an accident
Andy Roddick has shared his thoughts on the unfortunate accident that caused Novak Djokovic to be hit on the head with a water bottle at the 2024 Italian Open. The incident took place while the Serb was signing autographs after his win.
Djokovic commenced his campaign at the Masters 1000 event with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 win over Corentin Moutet in the second round. As the Serb exited the court after his victory, he stopped to sign autographs for eager fans in the stands.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn when a water bottle inadvertently slipped out of a fan's backpack as they leaned over the rails to get closer to the World No. 1. The bottle struck Djokovic on his head, causing him to fall to the ground in pain while clutching his head, which started to bleed.
Security personnel promptly rushed to the Serb's aid and escorted him to a medical center, where he received treatment. The Italian Open management later declared that the incident was an accident and reassured fans that the injury wasn't a cause for concern.
Andy Roddick weighed in on the incident after the match, disclosing his initial concern that it might have been a "butthead" fan doing something intentionally "ridiculous."
"When you first see this, you hope it's not some like butthead fan doing something ridiculous. Obviously, we want Novak to be okay. The reports are good, they say he'll be fine, but as Jim said, when an aluminum thing full of water hits you in the head when you're not expecting it, that's going to leave a mark, it's going to leave a bit of a dent," he said on the Tennis Channel.
Roddick emphasized his relief at learning that the fan's actions weren't deliberate and expressed his happiness that the 24-time Grand Slam champion was not seriously hurt.
"I was just relieved because the first videos we saw were from this angle right here, where it's like you hope a fan isn't dropping it on purpose, isn't throwing it. Listen, it fell out of a backpack, it was just a complete accident," he said.
"Unfortunate situation, happy that Novak is okay, let's get on with the tournament. Unfortunate incident, but just glad he's alright," he added.
"No other player would get criticism for that" - Andy Roddick defended Novak Djokovic amid scrutiny over his Monte-Carlo Masters semifinal run
Novak Djokovic is on the hunt for his first title of 2024 at the Italian Open. The Serb commenced his claycourt season at the Monte-Carlo Masters, beating the likes of Lorenzo Musetti and Alex de Minaur before falling to Casper Ruud in the semifinals.
Despite his deep run at the Masters 1000 event, the Serb faced scrutiny over his performance. Andy Roddick, though, came to the World No. 1's defense, arguing that no other player would cop criticism for reaching the semifinals of their first claycourt tournament of the year.
"It was a good week for Novak. He got his paces in. You know, you have to be a certain kind of player for people to criticize a semifinal showing in the first claycourt tournament of the year when you’ve only played two other events and you beat a Top 10 player (Alex de Minaur) along the way. No other player would get criticism for that," he said in a recent episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast (at 9:56).
Djokovic will resume his quest to end his title drought against Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the Italian Open.