Novak Djokovic returned to Indian Wells after a five-year absence and hoped to win his sixth title in this tournament. However, the Serbian, world number one, ended up unexpectedly losing in the second round of the tournament.
In a match that seemed accessible on paper, Djokovic fell against the Italian Luca Nardi, number 123 in the ATP rankings, 6-4, 3-6 and 6-3.
Nardi, who entered the main draw as a 'lucky loser', was the fourth lower-ranked player to beat the first ranked player in history.
This is how Novak Djokovic spoke about his elimination in Indian Wells
Djokovic, in the post-match press conference, acknowledged defeat. “He came as a lucky loser to the main draw, so he had nothing to lose, he played well. He deserves the victory. I was more surprised with my level. My level was very, very bad,” he noted.
“Those two things came together. He had a great day and I had a very bad one. The result is negative for me,” added the Serbian.
“I helped him play well, I didn't help myself. I made some terrible unforced errors. Pretty defensive tennis and I didn't hit the ball much in the third. “That's all,” Djokovic insisted.
Luca Nardi eliminated Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells.
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“He took advantage of his moment. He played freer, more aggressive than me, he went for the blows and breaking at 3-2 in the third set was enough,” he concluded.
Djokovic missed the previous editions due to the coronavirus pandemic and later not complying with the vaccination requirements.
He had reappeared on Saturday with a harder-than-expected victory against the Australian Aleksandar Vukic, when he lost the second set and ended up winning 6-2, 5-7 and 6-2 to add the 400th victory of his career in a Masters. 1,000.
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