Novak Djokovic’s return to the Italian Open ended abruptly as the 24-time Grand Slam champion fell 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 to Dino Prizmic in his opening match. The contest, played on Court 1 and delayed by rain, lasted two hours and 15 minutes.

Djokovic was last at the Foro Italico in 2024, when he suffered a freak head injury due to a fan’s dropped water bottle, and had been off the tour since a fourth-round exit at the BNP Paribas Open. Competing two weeks shy of his 39th birthday and chasing a 25th major, he arrived in Rome after coming up short at the Australian Open, where he defeated Jannik Sinner in a five-set semifinal but finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz. He has played just one tournament since then heading into the clay season.

“I wanted to be back on the tour earlier, but unfortunately the injury prevented me to do that,” he said in his pre-tournament press conference, “so I had to wait a bit more and progressively improve the state of the body and obviously get ready for Roma, the city and the tournament that I truly love, and I had great success in for many years.

“The ultimate goal on this surface is Roland Garros and trying to get ready to play my best tennis there. But nevertheless I do want to do well here, so I do have a lower expectations.”

As the No. 3 seed Djokovic earned a second-round spot but ran into the 20-year-old Croatian who had pushed him to four sets in their only previous meeting at the 2024 Australian Open. Prizmic reached the main draw by winning two qualifying matches, had scored his first Top 10 victory over Ben Shelton last week at the Mutua Madrid Open and advanced to face Djokovic after a straight-sets win over Marton Fucsovics on Wednesday.

Djokovic broke twice to take the opening set, but was visibly ill in the second, winning just six points in the first four games. Prizmic closed out the second set, then secured the decisive break in the fifth game of the third. Djokovic served to stay in the match at 5-3, but Prizmic delivered an ace to seal the victory, the biggest win of his young career and a match that matched his best Masters 1000 result.

Rafa Jodar has sprinted into the clay season spotlight at 19, climbing roughly 70 places in the rankings after claiming his first tour title and reaching a first Masters 1000 quarterfinal. That breakthrough run came in Madrid, where he met world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a quarterfinal that stretched the youngster and produced praise from his opponent.

Jodar said of that encounter after his opening-round win at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, “I learned a lot.” He added, “Playing against one of the best players in the world is always very special. I think there were moments in the match where I competed against him and I was at that level.

“But obviously, if you want to beat these guys, you need to be at that level for two hours, three hours—especially as the match gets longer. You have to be there and you can’t drop the level because they’re always going to be there.”

The Spaniard produced notable victories in Madrid, including wins over No. 5 seed Alex de Minaur and No. 27 seed Joao Fonseca, a sequence that helped push him into the Top 40 for the first time. He described the week in Madrid as memorable and credited a strong connection with the crowd. “It was one of the best tournaments, I could say, of the year,” Jodar told Prakash Amritraj. “I knew it was going to be very special but I didn’t expect it to be that special! I really connected with the crowd, with the people who came to support me. I think it was great. I played great matches and it was a great tournament. But the season is very long and so you just have to be there, recharge your mind, and try to be there again for the next week.”

Making his main-draw debut at the Foro Italico, Jodar is seeded at a Masters for the first time and moved closer to a potential Roland Garros seeding after an opening straight-sets victory over Nuno Borges. He will next face Matteo Arnaldi, who upset Alex de Minaur in three sets.

Jodar also highlighted the role of his support team, notably his father. “It’s a great connection, and it’s great to have him in the good but more importantly in the bad moments,” Jodar said. “He’s always there when I need him. He’s always trying to help me and that’s very important. I’m super grateful he’s able to travel with me to all the tournaments and that he’s there because I know it’s not easy to be with the same person for a long time. But I think he’s doing a great job and I’m super grateful he’s in my corner.”

Novak Djokovic returns to competition after two months away, and the timing could matter. The Serb, who turns 39 next week, saw his chances for a 25th major title improve during his layoff. With Carlos Alcaraz absent in Rome and Paris, Djokovic arrives in the Italian Open with fresh optimism. He begins an abbreviated Roland Garros build by facing 20-year-old Croat Prizmic, a rising player who favors a feisty, physical style well suited to clay. The pair met at the Australian Open, a match Djokovic won in four sets. Djokovic will need a fast start to match Prizmic’s energy. Winner: Djokovic. Estimated start time: 8:10 a.m.

Carlos Alcaraz’s absence also shifts attention to other emerging names. When March began, Jodar was an unknown ranked outside the Top 100; two months later he is the 32nd seed in Rome. In that span the 19-year-old Spaniard captured an ATP 250 title, reached a 500 semifinal, produced a strong showing against Jannik Sinner and delivered some jaw-dropping ground-stroke m.p.h.s. Those results helped cement his status as the ATP’s Next Big Thing. He opens against 52nd-ranked Borges, a steady Portuguese veteran who likes clay and creates angles from both wings. They have never met on tour. Winner: Jodar. Start time: Not before 5:00 a.m.

On the women’s side, Karolina Muchova remains a dangerous dark horse when healthy thanks to a varied game. Her opponent, Anastasia Potapova, may be evolving. The rangy Russian always had the ball-striking skills but lacked emotional equilibrium until last week. Potapova’s semifinal run in Madrid included a win over Elena Rybakina and lifted her ranking from 97 to 38. Muchova reached a clay final in Stuttgart last month and held a 4-1 edge in their head-to-head. This match will test whether the recent Potapova can take the next step. Winner: Muchova. Estimated start time: 6:10 a.m.

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