Can YOU work out what caused this Novak Djokovic meltdown? 24-time Grand Slam winner rages at umpire in a bizarre complaint during biggest loss in 16 years to world No 123 Luca Nardi
Novak Djokovic was caught in an on-court breakdown at Indian Wells before suffering his biggest defeat in 16 years to Luca Nardi.
Ranked 123rd in the world by the ATP, Nardi is the lowest-ranked player to beat Djokovic at the ATP Masters 1000 or Grand Slam level, with the Italian emerging victorious 6-4, 3-6 , 6-3.
Djokovic was obviously the overwhelming favorite for the draw as a five-time champion of the event and record 24-time Grand Slam winner, against the 20-year-old who entered the competition only as a lucky loser.
After a poor start by his own Herculean standards, the Serbian ace fought back in the second to level the scoreboards, before an entertaining third set in which both players excelled went the way of the underdog and sealed victory with an ace.
However, one moment in the second set in particular caught the eye, with Djokovic leaving indignantly with the referee after not receiving a call in his favor – and then making his opinion clear to the referee in the chair.
Novak Djokovic suffered the biggest setback of his career as he lost to ATP-ranked 123rd Italian Luca Nardi
Djokovic became involved in an on-court argument with the referee early in the second set
Nardi had qualified for the tournament only as a lucky loser, but defeated the world number 1 on his return to Indian Wells after five years
With a 2-0 lead in the second set, Djokovic served down the line to Nardi, who wanted to return a drop shot and catch his opponent.
The shot – intended to land as close as possible to the net on the other side of the court – was well executed, so well that Nardi thought he had hit the net and appeared to stop running.
Djokovic then returned the shot to the tram line, but was transfixed as Nardi returned across the court. The Serbian stood in the center of the field and looked at him with his hands in bewilderment, clearly shocked that Nardi had offered a shot in response. .
“He hit the ball and then stopped!” he told the referee, sparking a furious debate over whether Djokovic should have been awarded the point based on a hurdle.
A hindrance in tennis is any deliberate attempt by one player to prevent another from making a stroke.
“He responded to the call, he didn’t make the call, he didn’t stop the run,” the referee argued. “Just because he stops doesn’t mean the point stops.
“Just because he stops doesn’t mean the point stops? What are you talking about?’ replied an irate Djokovic.
‘You saw the reaction, he literally stopped. He stopped and that was it. He completely confused me and I stopped too. How can you not make that judgment? Are you joking?’
Djokovic felt that Nardi had stopped after playing his shot, which, according to the Serb, was reason for an interference signal
He then remained transfixed without offering another return and stared at the referee’s chair
Djokovic made his argument to the referee on the chair, but the referee was not convinced
The referee then patiently asked if Djokovic was looking for a penalty to be called in his favor, to which the 36-year-old replied: “Of course!”
The two continued to go back and forth on the field, with the referee insisting there was no reason to award a penalty, as excited boos emerged from the crowd.
Ultimately, the call went Nardi’s way and the match quickly got going again. It wouldn’t prove to be much of a hurdle as Djokovic seemed to have recovered from the blip in the opening set to fight back and win the second set 6-3, but he couldn’t find a way past the youngster in the third find.
“I don’t think anyone knew me before tonight,” Nardi said after his fifth tour-level match win. ‘I hope the crowd enjoyed the match. I am very happy with this.’
‘A great feeling. “I couldn’t even imagine playing a match against him, and now I’ve beaten him too,” he added after the match. “So it’s such a dream come true for me.
By the end of the tense encounter, the crowd was completely in the Italian camp, with chants of “Luca, Luca, Luca!” echoes through the court.
‘To be honest, I tried not to listen to the audience too much. I tried to concentrate on what I had to do.
Nardi earned the favor of the crowd who chanted his name as he pulled off a stunning win
Nardi said after the match that he couldn’t imagine ever playing against Djokovic, let alone beating him
‘But after the match my coaches said to me: Luca, everyone was cheering for you. Like, I mean, unbelievable. He is the best player ever against Djokovic. So I think I’ll keep it, this moment for me, yes, for the rest of my life, yes, for sure.’
‘Congratulations to him, especially in the third set he played great tennis, moves well and is very talented. He entered the main event as a lucky loser, so he had nothing to lose. He played great and deserves to win,” Djokovic said.
‘I was more surprised about my level. My level was really bad. When these two things come together, he has a great day, I have a really bad day and the outcome is negative for me.”
When asked if Nardi would crack under the pressure, Djokovic added: ‘Not if I don’t force him. I helped him play well and I didn’t help myself at all. I made some terrible unforced errors and played defensive tennis. He played more freely and aggressively than I did.’