Alex de Minaur and Novak Djokovic suffer early clay-court losses at Italian Open
Consensus Summary
Two top tennis players, Alex de Minaur and Novak Djokovic, suffered early exits at the Italian Open on May 9, 2026. De Minaur, ranked world No 8, lost to Matteo Arnaldi in a hard-fought three-set match, marking his fourth loss in five clay-court matches and his third consecutive defeat. His frustration peaked when he smashed his racquet after a critical error, and he committed 37 unforced errors in the match. Djokovic, returning after a two-month injury layoff, was defeated by the rising 20-year-old Croatian qualifier Dino Prižmić, who won with an ace on the first match point. Both players struggled with form, with Djokovic visibly affected by his shoulder injury. Alexei Popyrin remains the sole Australian in the singles draw after Aleksandar Vukic’s loss to Tommy Paul. The losses raise concerns ahead of the upcoming French Open.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Alex de Minaur lost to Matteo Arnaldi 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 at the Italian Open on 2026-05-09
- De Minaur suffered his third consecutive loss and his fourth in five clay-court matches
- De Minaur smashed his racquet after netting a game-losing forehand in the match against Arnaldi
- De Minaur committed 37 unforced errors in the match against Arnaldi
- Novak Djokovic lost to Dino Prižmić 2-6 6-2 6-4 at the Italian Open on 2026-05-09
- Prižmić is 20 years old and ranked world No 79
- Djokovic had not played since losing to Jack Draper in the fourth round of Indian Wells in March 2026
- Alexei Popyrin remains the last Australian in the singles draw at the Italian Open
- Aleksandar Vukic was beaten 6-4 6-2 by Tommy Paul at the Italian Open
- The match between de Minaur and Arnaldi lasted 2 hours and 56 minutes
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Djokovic said, 'I hope you understand I will not talk about that. I want to congratulate Dino, deservedly the winner today.'
- Djokovic added, 'I came in to have a match or more. Unfortunately, only a match. It's all right. I'm pleased at least that I fought until the end.'
- The ABC article includes a Reuters photo credit for the de Minaur match and a Getty Images photo credit for Djokovic's match.
- The Guardian describes the rain starting during the de Minaur-Arnaldi match as potentially affecting his mood.
- The Guardian notes that de Minaur had been expected to get revenge against Rafael Jodar by defeating Arnaldi in the last-32.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states the match between de Minaur and Arnaldi lasted 'four minutes shy of three hours,' while ABC says it lasted '2 hours and 56 minutes.'
Source Articles
Alex de Minaur’s form slump continues in racket-smashing exit at Italian Open
Australian defeated 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 by Matteo Arnaldi in second round World No 8 has now lost four of his past five matches on clay Alex de Minaur has been reduced to racket-smashing frustration as his alarming slump in form continued with another early clay-court tournament exit at the Italian Open. Australia’s world No 8 was downed 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 by home favourite Matteo Arnaldi, who was cheered to the rafters at the Foro Italico by the excited Rome crowd on Friday morning. Continue readi
De Minaur's disastrous clay court form continues
Struggling Alex de Minaur suffers another early clay-court tournament exit, this time at the Italian Open in Rome.