The world’s number one tennis player, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, was beaten by Italy’s lowly Luca Nardi on Monday night, in a match 20-year-old Nardi says left him “speechless.”
Ranked number 123 in the world, Nardi is the lowest-ranked player to beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the ATP Masters 1000 or Grand Slam level. A so-called “lucky loser,” Nardi was himself knocked out of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells during the qualifying rounds, but managed to reach the main draw after another player withdrew.
The Italian achieved a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over 36-year-old Djokovic.
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“I think it is a miracle, because I am a 20-year-old guy, and beating Novak,” Nardi said afterwards. “I couldn’t even imagine [playing] a match against him, and now I also beat him. It’s such a dream come true for me. I will keep it, this moment, for the rest of my life.”
Djokovic, meanwhile, acknowledged that he “hadn’t really been close to my best” in his last few tournaments. “No titles this year. That’s not something I’m used to,” he added.
The Indian Wells Open is being played until 17 March in California.
