Italian tennis player Luca Nardi demonstrated a blend of composure and strength as he shocked his childhood idol and top-seeded Novak Djokovic with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory on Monday night in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Nardi currently ranked No. 123, sealed his remarkable upset against the world No. 1 with an ace. The 20-year-old from Italy dropped his racket, placing his hands on his face in disbelief before exchanging greetings with Djokovic at the net.
“This is a miracle,” Nardi expressed in an interview after the match on the Tennis Channel. “I’m a 20-year-old guy, ranked 100th in the world, and beating Novak. So, crazy. Crazy.”
Establishing dominance early with his powerful shots, Nardi kept Djokovic under pressure throughout the match. There was a moment when Nardi was surprised by an “in” call and nonchalantly returned the ball over the net, resulting in a winner and prompting Djokovic to raise concerns about a potential hindrance to the official.
Remarkably, Nardi was nearly eliminated from the tournament. He entered the field as a “lucky loser,” a player who failed in the final qualifying round but entered the main draw as a substitute for an injured player. In Nardi’s case, he replaced No. 30 Tomas Martin Etcheverry and received a bye through the opening round.
He thus became the lowest-ranked player to defeat Djokovic in a Grand Slam or ATP Masters 1000 level event, surpassing No. 122 Kevin Anderson in Miami in 2008.
Employing a mix of aggression and finesse, Nardi kept Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam singles champion from Serbia whom he idolized, smiling and shaking his head at times in a blend of surprise and shock.
Nardi remained unfazed, responding to Djokovic’s well-placed shots with his own well-executed returns.
“Before this night, no one knew me,” said Nardi, who is set to face American Tommy Paul in the round of 16. “I hope now the crowd enjoyed the game. I’m super happy with this one.”
Djokovic, unfamiliar with Nardi’s game except for what he observed during the match, acknowledged Nardi’s strong baseline game, particularly his forehand, and agile movement.
“He got in as a ‘lucky loser’ to the main draw, so he didn’t have anything to lose. So he played great,” Djokovic remarked. “Deserved to win. I was more surprised with my level. My level was bad.”
In other tournament action, No. 4 Daniil Medvedev narrowly defeated No. 29 Sebastian Korda 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, and will now face No. 13 Grigor Dimitrov in the next round.
Earlier in the day, Coco Gauff celebrated an early birthday gift by defeating Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the third round. Gauff, who turns 20 on Wednesday, overcame an early struggle to hold her serve by saving 10 of 11 break points. She sealed the match with a serve that Bronzetti couldn’t return.
This win extends Gauff’s winning streak in the United States to 18 matches, including her title victory at the 2023 U.S. Open.
Gauff will square off against Elise Mertens in the round of 16. Mertens secured a victory against Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-4. Osaka was competing in her fifth tournament following her maternity leave in 2023.
Furthermore, two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka defeated 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-3, 7-5 to advance.
On the men’s side, No. 7 Holger Rune clinched victory over Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (5) to progress to the round of 16. Rune, who had a bye in the first round and advanced through the second when Milos Raonic withdrew due to injury, will now face No. 12 Taylor Fritz, the 2022 champion.
Gael Monfils emerged victorious in a thrilling three-set match against Cameron Norrie, the winner of the 2021 tournament, in a contest that lasted over three hours.
