Novak Djokovic’s return to Indian Wells ended much quicker than anyone could have predicted after the world number one was stunned 6-4 3-6 6-3 by lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round on Monday. The Serb, who had been out of action for five months due to US travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, appeared in control. Still, his dominance was brought to an abrupt halt as the 20-year-old Italian dominated with his superb baseline play.
The victory, which earned Nardi a spot in the quarter-finals against American Tommy Paul, ended the 11-match winning streak for Djokovic at Masters 1000 events. It also marked the lowest-ranked defeat for Djokovic at any level of the ATP tour since a loss to No 122 Kevin Anderson at the 2008 Miami Open.
Nardi, who grew up idolizing Djokovic and had a poster of him hanging above his bed until he was 11, played the match of his life to stun the top seed. The 20-year-old, ranked 123rd in the world, broke Djokovic in the second set to take a 2-1 lead before breaking again in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. The final set was much tighter, with both players trading breaks, and it looked as though Djokovic had a chance to win it when he held his serve to lead 3-2. But Nardi was unrelenting and ripped a series of forehand winners to break back and take the set despite Djokovic having three match points.
But Djokovic could not find his best form in the final set and was broken again in the fifth game to give Nardi a 6-3 lead. The Italian wrapped up the victory in just two and a half hours with a brilliant ace to leave Djokovic staring at another significant upset loss in disbelief.
At the post-match press conference, Djokovic admitted he was not at his best and hoped to find form in his next match at Miami. “I was not in the best shape, but I fought to the end, and that’s what matters,” he said.
“It’s all about playing better tennis, which will come in time. You have to stick to your plan and keep fighting.”
Meanwhile, seventh seed Holger Rune progressed with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Frenchman Stephane Robert in the other third-round encounter. The German, who had a bye in the first round and received a walkover in the second against Milos Raonic, was impressive with his powerful groundstrokes. He finished with 36 winners and 41 unforced errors in the match, which lasted just under two and a half hours. In the fourth and final match on Monday, Canadian Milos Raonic brushed aside Sweden’s Alexander Zverev 6-2 6-3 to secure his place in the quarter-finals. The top four seeds are guaranteed spots in the last eight.