Djokovic stunned by lucky loser Nardi in Indian Wells upset

Luca Nardi of Italy is congratulated by Novak Djokovic of Serbia after their match during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 11, 2024 in Indian Wells, California.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

INDIAN WELLS – Top seed Novak Djokovic crashed out of the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters on Monday (Tuesday Manila time), losing in three sets to Italian lucky loser Luca Nardi.

Nardi, ranked 123rd in the world, played superbly to win, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, as Djokovic's return to Indian Wells ended in a stunning third round exit.

Nardi became only the sixth player ranked outside the Top 100 to defeat a world number one at the Masters level since 1990.

Djokovic has now lost five of his last seven matches played against Italians - including three featuring fourth-ranked Jannik Sinner.

Nardi, meanwhile, was almost as shocked as his opponent after his sensational upset.

The 20-year-old lost in the final qualifying round to Belgium's David Goffin and only remained in the tournament after one of the main draw players pulled out.

"Before this night no-one knew me," Nardi said in an on-court interview after his win. "I hope the crowd enjoyed the game; I'm super happy with this one.

"I don't know. I think it really is a miracle. I'm a guy ranked outside the top 100 in the world and now I'm beating Novak — crazy, crazy."

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