Italian Open: 20-year-old young Tennis sensation knocked six times champion Novak Djokovic out of the tournament

In the rain-interrupted quarter-finals of the Italian Open, top-seeded Novak Djokovic was defeated by 20-year-old Holger Rune. In the game, Dune beat Djokovic by 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 on Wednesday and knocked him out of the tournament. Six-time champion Djokovic entered the match with an unexplained injury and lost for the second time against the rising 20-year-old Dane.

Last November, Rune overcame the Serb to win the Masters 1000 at Paris Bercy. Both players had spats with the chair umpire during their last match. Djokovic uttered some words towards the chair after a time warning while Rune did the same for a second-set line call.

Djokovic was playing in his 17th consecutive Rome quarter-final, improving his record to 13-4. The last player to beat him in the last eight was Tomas Berdych in Rome in 2013. His record in Rome fell to 67-11 as his attempt for a seventh victory ended after two hours and 18 minutes with 35 unforced errors and his fourth loss of the season. In the semi-finals, Rune will face either world number four Casper Ruud or Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.

Is Djokovic fit for upcoming events?

In the game against Rune, Djokovic can be seen limping during the changeovers and halts. As Rain interrupted play for just over an hour, Djokovic sought more towels to pad his lower back on the sidelines during most changeovers shortly after the match began. He has also been dealing with a right elbow injury in recent weeks, which has forced him to skip the Madrid event and put his pre-Roland Garros preparations behind schedule.

It’s worth noting that Novak Djokovic fought furiously with his coach Goran Ivanisevic after his unexpected Italian Open loss at the hands of Holger Rune on Wednesday. At one point during the match, Djokovic and his coach clashed after he questioned the feedback he was receiving from his box, prompting Ivanisevic to respond to Djokovic with his X-rated remark.