Novak Djokovic Plays Off Champagne Bottle Mishap

Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer on Sunday 6-4 6-3, winning his fourth career BNL Italian Open in Rome. Every year, the winner is treated with a huge bottle of champagne to celebrate.

And in the celebration, Novak learned an important life lesson on how not to open a bottle.

First off, always point the bottle away from your face. And second, make sure you are not pointing it at someone else. If you stick to these two steps, then there should not be a problem.

Luckily, the cork missed his eye and only resulted in a bit of a nosebleed. “I am very, very fortunate to still have my eye,” Djokovic joked afterwards. “We had an argument with ‘Mr. Champagne’ and he certainly threw a punch I will not forget.”

“He must know I don’t like drinking champagne, so he decided to strike me. Luckily it was only my nose.”

The number one in the world will next be seen at the French Open, which begins on May 24. The eight-time Grand Slam winner has never won at Roland Garros, losing in the finals in both 2012 and 2014 to Rafael Nadal.