Since Luca Nardi was eight years old, he has seen a poster of Novak Djokovic on his bedroom door. He entered the BNP Paribas Open main draw as a lucky loser — and the 20-year-old Italian couldn’t believe his luck in drawing his idol in the third round.
“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.”
On Monday night, Nardi notched the biggest win of his career by beating the World No. 1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. As the No. 123 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he is 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.
Photo/LucaNardi/X
ATP Tour contributed to this coverage