Luca Nardi, the World No. 123, pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the 2024 tennis season at the BNP Paribas Open, defeating Novak Djokovic 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the third round of the tournament. Nardi, who appeared in the main draw a lucky loser, claimed just his fifth ATP Tour-level victory as a result.
Djokovic struggled with his consistency and groundstrokes in the match, yet Nardi dictated the match with his power. Nardi hit 34 winners in the match to Djokovic’s 17. Hitting multiple return winners and pressuring Djokovic’s serve, Djokovic won just 42 percent of points off his second serve.
In the first set, Nardi surprised Djokovic with his big hitting, breaking midway through the first set and eventually taking the set 6-4.
There was no match without drama as well. Nardi controversially claimed a break point early in the second set when Djokovic claimed Nardi “stopped” during the point. An argument then ensued with the umpire. While the point helped Nardi regain the second set momentum, Djokovic used the point to fuel his anger and took the second set 6-3.
In the third set, Nardi showed off his fast forehand, while Djokovic’s form crumbled. A slew of unforced errors from the World No. 1 and forehand winners from Nardi saw the Italian claim the ultimate break to lead 4-2. Djokovic managed to hit just two winners in the third set, letting Nardi dominate with his groundstrokes. The Italian hit an ace to finish the match after two hours and 22 minutes, hitting 19 winners in the third set alone.
Djokovic’s last defeat to a player ranked outside the Top 100 came in February 2022, when he fell to Jiri Vesely in Dubai. This marks only his second loss to a player that lowly ranked since 2018. The result drops Djokovic’s season record to 8-3. He could not counter Nardi’s powerful serve, only seeing four breakpoint opportunities come in the match.
For Nardi, he will face Tommy Paul in the fourth round, a player he’s yet to face on tour. Nardi became the fourth lowest-ranked player to defeat an ATP World No. 1 at a Masters 1000 event and will make his Top 100 debut after the tournament concludes.
“I’m super happy with the performance,” Nardi said to ATP Tour reporters after the match. “This is a miracle … It’s crazy.”
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
