Novak Djokovic, Top Ranked Men's Singles Star, Loses To World No 123 Luca Nardi In Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic faced a shock defeat against an unfancied opponent in Luca Nardi in the third round of Indian Wells.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia shows his dejection during his three set defeat against Luca Nardi of Italy in their third round match during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 11, 2024 in Indian Wells, California.

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Novak Djokovic, the world's number 1 ranked men's singles tennis player, succumbed to a shock defeat against Luca Nardi in a round three fixture of Indian Wells. While Nardi had failed to reach the main draw after losing in qualifying, the Italian turned out to be a lucky loser as he got to feature in the competition as a replacement for an injured player. And now Nardi has made this opportunity count big time with the 20-year-old, ranked world number 123, getting the better of the 24-time grand slam winner.

Mamma mia, have we got news for you! 🇮🇹👇@BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 12, 2024

Even though it was apparent that Djokovic will have his task cut out against his opponent when he dropped the first set, still there were hardly any who reckoned that he would end up losing the match. However, Nardi ended up frustrating the Serbian tennis star with his hard-hitting shots. Widely regarded as among the greatest players ever to have played the game, Novak lost his cool and even argued with the umpire after a controversial point was awarded to his less-fancied opponent. Nardi eventually went on to register a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win to pull off a sensational result.

Nardi Becomes Lowest Ranked Player To Beat Djokovic At ATP Masters 100

The win means Nardi became the lowest ranked player to beat Novak Djokovic at ATP Masters 100 or the Grand Slam level. He brought up this milestone in some style finishing the match with an ace after Djokovic had managed to keep himself alive in the match by winning the second set.

"I think that before this night no one knew me," Nardi said after what happend to be only his fifth tour-level match win.

"I hope that the crowd enjoyed the game. I'm super happy with this one," he stated after a historic achievement against Djokovic who is yet to win a singles title this year.