New Delhi: Serbian ace Novak Djokovic had an unfortunate start to his Madrid Open campaign on Saturday after losing his first round match to Matteo Arnaldi. This loss extended the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s struggles on clay ahead of the French Open next month, which holds quit an importance in his tennis career.
Arnaldi pushed Djokovic’s quest for a career 100th title with a straight sets 6-3, 6-4 win against the Serb who was undermined by 32 unforced errors. The Italian tennis player, after the massive victory, raised his arms and turned to the crowd after striking a winner that gave him a definite second-set break. The Serbian tried to hit right back and had three break points but the Italian rallied to save his serve and finished off the three-time champion.
Arnaldi d. Djokovic 6-3 6-4
What a moment.
When he was a kid, Matteo watched Novak’s matches in school with a phone underneath his desk.
Today, he defeated his idol without losing a set.
✅5th top 10 win
✅2nd top 10 win of 2025
✅2nd Madrid R3Making that kid proud.
🇮🇹❤️ pic.twitter.com/godpbZUrBJ
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 26, 2025
Djokovic has now lost three matches in a row, the Miami final, and his opening match to Alejandro Tabilo at the Monte Carlo Masters couple of weeks ago. The Serbian giant is still seeking his first title of the season after winning his 99th title last year in August at the Paris Olympics. Djokovic has gone down in four finals since then. The only two players to reach the 100-title milestone are Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103).
An elated Arnaldi wrote (Oh my god) on the camera when given the marker for the now customary message by the winner to the television audience. Arnaldi will next face Damir Dzumhur after he rallied past Sebastian Baez 1-6, 6-1, 6-2.
(With PTI inputs)
Arnaldi pushed Djokovic’s quest for a career 100th title with a straight sets 6-3, 6-4 win against the Serb who was undermined by 32 unforced errors. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
