A match at the Italian Open was temporarily paused after Corentin Moutet’s mobile phone started to ring midway through a point. The French star was taking on Novak Djokovic in Rome, with the Serbian eventually winning the second-round clash in straight sets.
Poised to start a serve, Moutet was abruptly interrupted after a mobile started ringing inside the arena, much to the confusion of the crowd and the players. However, Moutet was quick to realise that the noise was coming from his bag, with the 25-year-old sprinting across to turn it off.
It caused an eruption of laughter amongst the crowd, with even Djokovic able to see the funny side. Moutet was quick to realise the noise was actually an alarm going off, but it didn’t stop him from playing up to the humorous audience. Trotting across to the phone, Moutet then pretended to answer his mobile as if he was taking a call.
Unfortunately for the Frenchman, that would be the only highlight of his evening’s work, with Djokovic running out a comfortable winner. Taking the second-round clash in straight sets, the world No.1 beat Moutet 6-3 6-1.
However, Djokovic would be caught up in an unfortunate moment of his own with the crowd after the match, when a bottle fell from the stands and hit him on the head. Striking him on the top of his head while signing autographs, Djokovic fell to the floor in anguish but quickly returned to his feet.
And via a statement released by the tournament organisers, it was quickly revealed that the incident was nothing more than an accident. It read: “This is not being treated as a deliberate act, but as an accident.
“A boy was calling out to get an autograph and the bottle fell out of his bag. Novak has undergone the necessary checks and has already left to return to his hotel. His condition is not a cause for concern.”
Whereas Djokovic shared an update about his condition via X: “Thank you for the messages of concern. This was an accident and I am fine resting at the hotel with an ice pack. See you all on Sunday.”
Djokovic will return to action on Sunday, when he takes on Alejandro Tabilo for a place in the last-16. The Chilean progressed into the third round after beating Yannick Hanfmann at the last 64 stage.
