Novak Djokovic was eliminated from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells by lucky loser Luca Nardi.
Nardi, 20, booked a last-16 meeting with the American Tommy Paul when he beat the world No 1 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The Italian, No 123 in the world, is the lowest-ranked player to beat Djokovic at ATP Masters 1000 or grand slam level.
“I can’t believe I kept my composure,” he stated. “It feels like a miracle, considering I’m just a 20-year-old ranked 100th in the world, and I beat Novak. It’s unbelievable.”
Nardi secured his win by serving his sixth ace, while also hitting 16 winners in the last set compared to only two by the five-time Indian Wells champion.
“It’s alright. As a professional athlete, it’s expected to face ups and downs,” expressed Djokovic. “You have to learn to embrace it. While some victories feel sweet, some losses are inevitable. I’m hopeful for more wins and to continue pushing forward. Each trophy I earn will be fulfilling, especially as it breaks my recent streak of poor performance in the last few tournaments.”
Paul advanced to the round of 16 by defeating Ugo Humbert of France with a score of 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, the seventh-seeded Holger Rune, ninth-seeded Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, and Grigor Dimitrov all won their matches in straight sets. Dimitrov will face off against the fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, who had to battle through three sets to defeat Sebastian Korda 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
Unfortunately,Cameron Norrie, the top-ranked British player, was eliminated from competition in a thrilling match against French veteran Gaël Monfils, where he ultimately lost 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3. Despite initially holding a lead of one set and a score of 3-0, Norrie could not hold on and faced defeat from the impressive performance of the 37-year-old Monfils.
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Monfils managed to come back and tie the score in an incredible tie-break during the second set. He even won a point with an underarm serve and eventually secured the set after an impressive 31-stroke rally.
