A historic victory took place at Indian Wells 2024 on Monday night. And it was not the victor anyone was anticipating.
Rising Italian tennis star Luca Nardi defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the third round of Indian Wells.
At just 20 years old, Nardi, currently ranked at No. 123, is now officially the lowest-ranked player ever to conquer Djokovic at a Masters 1000 or Grand Slam event, according to TENNIS.com.
Luca Nardi Reflects on His Epic Triumph
The young Italian’s journey to this historic triumph began just two days prior, as he notched up his first Top 50 win against Zhang Zhizhen of China.
Speaking to this, Nardi said in his post-match press conference: “I never beat a Top 50. Now I also beat Zhang in the first round and now Djokovic. I don’t know what to say about it.”
Nardi revealed his pre-match doubt in his post-match press conference when he told reporters “Before the match, I spoke to my coach and I said ‘I don’t want to lose 6-1, 6-1.’”
Despite this, Luca didn’t let Djokovic’s clout get to him. Instead, he displayed nerves of steel against the world No. 1. “I think I started good, and I realized that during the rally I was feeling good,” Nardi continued, “I grew up watching [Djokovic] play, so I watched his matches for, like, 10 years. I think that the only one advantage that I had was that he didn’t see me ever play.”
Even though Nardi gained confidence as the match went on, the young rising star still expressed his disbelief and described the victory as a “miracle” in his on court interview.
“I think this is a miracle because I’m a 20-year-old guy, 100 in the world and beating Novak. So crazy, crazy,” Nardi told BNP Paribas reporters.
“I think that, before this night, no one knew me,” Nardi continued “I hope that now the crowd enjoyed the game and I’m super happy with this one.”
As much of a historic win as this is for Nardi’s career, it is a meaningful one too. The young Italian grew up watching Djokovic, and Nardi told reporters that he has a poster of Novak on his bedroom door. “Every time I go to bed, I see Novak,” Nardi said.
“It’s an amazing feeling. I couldn’t even imagine to play a match against him and now I also beat him, so it’s such a dream come true for me.”
Novak Djokovic’s Loss Prolongs His No-Title Season
Novak had a chance to break Roger Federer’s record for most Indian Wells wins (5) and previously held a 50-9 record at the tournament. Now, his loss to world No. 123 Nardi has left Djokovic without a title for the 2024 season.
“No titles this year. That is not something I’m used to. I was starting the season most of my career with a grand slam win or Dubai win or any other tournament, but it’s fine. It’s part of the sport, you just have to accept it. Some you win; some you lose. Hopefully I’ll win some more and still keep going,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference.
Acknowledging Nardi’s stellar play, Djokovic critiqued his own level of play throughout the match.
“I was more surprised with my level. My level was really, really bad,” Djokovic continued, “I helped him play well, and I didn’t help myself at all. I made some really terrible unforced errors and just [played] quite defensive tennis.”
Moving forward, Novak Djokovic plans to learn from this loss and simply move on. “I’m going to obviously analyze what was done and what could have been done better and then move on.”
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