Novak Djokovic arrived in Rome with everything to prove and precious little time to do it. He left far too early, carrying more questions than answers.

The 38-year-old former world No. 1 suffered a stunning second-round defeat at the Italian Open on Friday, falling 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic. It was Djokovic's first match in two months after nursing a right shoulder injury, and the rust showed. Prizmic, just 20 years old, sealed the upset with an ace on his first match point.

The loss casts serious doubt on Djokovic's readiness for the French Open, which begins May 24. His 2025 season has been a rollercoaster of setbacks: a loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final in February, a withdrawal from Doha due to fatigue, and a fourth-round defeat to Jack Draper at Indian Wells in March. That's when the shoulder trouble flared up, forcing him to skip Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid.

Rome was supposed to be the comeback stage. Instead, it became a stumble.

This marks Djokovic's earliest tournament exit since the 2025 Madrid Open, and the first time in 18 Italian Open appearances that he has lost his opening match. The six-time Rome champion, who earned a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed, looked sharp early—breaking Prizmic's serve and moving well at the net to take the first set. Then the wheels came off.

Prizmic stormed through four straight games to open the second set, using heavy groundstrokes to force errors from Djokovic. He carried that momentum into the decider, breaking Djokovic's serve in the fifth game and never looking back.

Djokovic, for his part, wasn't overly alarmed. "I don't think I played so bad, to be honest," he told reporters. "It was a good battle in the end, but obviously I see what I am missing. I'm late half a step. I'm not definitely where I want to be."

With just 16 days until Roland Garros, Djokovic's clay-court preparation now consists of a single match—and a loss. For a champion chasing history, that's a tightrope walk with no net.