Novak Djokovic suffered what was, perhaps, the biggest upset of his career on Monday when he fell to the hands of Luca Nardi after a game of three sets at the third round of the the BNP Paribas. The 20-year-old Nardi took over two hours to get the end of Djokovic’s stay at Indian Wells with a final-round score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. 

The win was Nardi’s best and was also his second victory against a top-50 player, which happened a few days after getting his first. Ranked 123 in the world, Nardi is the lowest-ranked player to beat Djokovic in a Masters 1000 event or a Grand Slam. 

Speaking after the match, the Italian described his win as a “miracle,” as he could not contain the joy after having achieved what anyone would have dismissed as impossible. A longtime fan of Djokovic since his childhood, Nardi mentioned that he was very unknown before the match but that the victory would make more people know him. 

Nardi had the upper hand early in the first set after making it 3-2 and he maintained the lead till the end. The second set went to Djokovic who managed to get the lead early this time, but the decider set did not go as the Serbian planned as Nardi again took control of the game and got a 4-2 lead which he did not let go off till the match ended. 

The tournament has been going quite well so far for Nardi, who was not even supposed to be here. After losing in the qualifying round, Nardi was headed home but was offered a spot after Tomas Martin Etcheverry pulled out of the event. Earning his first top-50 victory and defeating the world number one has made his inclusion in the event worth it. Now, he only has one game to play before hopefully qualifying for the quarterfinals.

Leon Osamor