20-year-old Italian Luca Nardi entered the Indian Wells as a lucky loser and was delighted when he was drawn against his idol Novak Djokovic. That he would go on to beat the Serbian in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open is a story in itself and for Nardi, it is nothing short of a miracle.
On Monday night, Nardi claimed the biggest win of his career, besting Djokovic by 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The young Italian impressed with his clean ball striking from the baseline and smashed some hot forehands to stun the five-time Indian Wells champion.
With this win, Nardi became the lowest-ranked player to defeat Djokovic at the ATP Masters 1000 or Grand Slam level. He is also the fourth lowest-ranked player to beat a reigning World No. 1 at a Masters 1000.
“I think that before this night no one knew me,” Nardi said after recording just his fifth tour-level match win. “I hope that the crowd enjoyed the game. I’m super happy with this one.”
“I don’t know [how I held my nerve],” he said of the tense finish. “I think it is a miracle, because I am a 20-year-old guy, 100 in the world, and beating Novak. It’s crazy.”
Meanwhile, Nardi said he draws inspiration from his compatriot Jannik Sinner, who recently won the Australian Open.
“For sure I’m watching Jannik winning all the matches,” Nardi said when asked if he draws inspiration from his countryman. “For sure it’s something that pushed me to be better. I didn’t expect to win today, but I always try to do my best in practice, and this happened and I’m really happy.”
Nardi will face home favorite Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the Indian Wells on Wednesday.
