Novak Djokovic fell to a shock defeat by the hands of fortunate loser Luca Nardi, who sits exterior the world’s high 100, in spherical three at Indian Wells. Nardi, 20, had initially been knocked out in qualifying however ended up reaching the principle draw as a alternative for an injured participant who pulled out earlier than the primary spherical.
It was clear that Djokovic, who’s but to win a singles title in 2024, was in for an extended night time when he dropped the primary set to his unfancied opponent. Nardi pissed off the Serb all night along with his hard-hitting photographs and Djokovic’s fury was evident when he took goal on the umpire following a controversial level.
At one stage, Nardi was shocked by an ‘in’ name and casually hit the ball again over the web, leading to a winner. Djokovic was sad with the style of the purpose and made his emotions recognized by complaining to the official a couple of potential hindrance, saying: “He actually stopped.”
Djokovic’s pleas fell on deaf ears however he managed to degree issues up by claiming the second set, just for Nardi to win the decisive third by closing out the match with an ace. His 6-4 3-6 6-3 triumph meant that he grew to become the lowest-ranked participant to beat Djokovic in a match at ATP Masters 100 or Grand Slam degree.
Reacting to his unimaginable victory over Djokovic, Nardi stated: “It is loopy. I do not know, I believe it’s a miracle as a result of I’m a 20-year-old man and beating Novak. I could not even think about to play a match in opposition to him and now I additionally beat him.
“It is such a dream come true for me. After the match, my coaches informed me: ‘Luca, everybody was cheering for you’. Unbelievable [to win] in opposition to Djokovic, he is the most effective participant ever. I’ll preserve it, this second, for the remainder of my life.”
Djokovic, in the meantime, was gracious in defeat as he congratulated Nardi on his win however was fast to lament his personal efficiency, which he described as ‘actually, actually unhealthy’.
“Congrats to him for notably within the third set taking part in some nice, nice tennis,” stated Djokovic, who made 9 unforced errors throughout the match. “I watched him play. I did not know a lot about him, however I watched him play, and I knew he possessed nice high quality tennis from the baseline, particularly the forehand facet. Strikes effectively. Very proficient.
“He bought in as a fortunate loser to principal draw so he actually did not have something to lose. He performed nice, deserved to win. I used to be extra shocked with my degree. My degree was actually, actually unhealthy. That is it, you recognize. These two issues come collectively. He is having an ideal day, I am having a very unhealthy day. End result was a adverse final result for me.”