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If you tuned in to the Indian Wells matches last night, you likely woke up this morning with a burning question in your head – who is Luca Nardi? This 20 year old Italian stunned the top seed, Novak Djokovic, in a three set thriller in the Californian desert last night. Of course, this is the biggest upset of the tournament so far.
However, if you check out our tennis predictions today, some other upsets could be on the cards over the next couple of days! But back to the matter at hand, you’re probably curious as to where this kid has come from. After all, he’s not a big name, nor is he even ranked inside the top 100.
In fact, Nardi is only in the main draw since he gained entry as a lucky loser, which puts a further twist on this tale. Anyway, if you want answers to ‘who is Luca Nardi’, I encourage you to read through the following sections.
Who is Luca Nardi? Background, statistics, and facts
Contents
Luca Nardi is a 20-year-old professional tennis player from Italy. Despite beating the world number one last night, Nardi has never been ranked inside the top 100, which is just remarkable. Additionally, he has zero ATP titles to speak of.
When you compare this with Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam titles, it’s clear that these guys wouldn’t even be on the same court in most instances. And as it happens, Nardi only made his debut at Masters 1000 level in 2023, and this is the first time he’s ever reached the third round at this level.
That said, by beating Novak Djokovic last night, he will officially break into the top 100 once the new rankings are released.
How did Luca Nardi beat Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells?
Believe it or not, following his victory against Djokovic last night, Luca Nardi is officially the lowest-ranked player to ever beat Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam or Masters 1000 event. This is obviously a huge achievement, but how did he do it? Well, for starters, his ball striking from the back of the court was nothing short of phenomenal.
He isn’t the biggest guy in terms of physical stature, but he went toe to toe with the world number one in some gruelling rallies. At the same time, he was particularly clutch in the deciding set, hitting 16 winners compared to just 2 from Djokovic.
Of course, it’s extremely rare that we see such statistics for matches involving Djokovic. But to his credit, Nardi kept his cool and put together a stunning performance to beat Novak Djokovic.
Is Luca Nardi a star of the future?
Despite his ranking and the fact that he’s never even played in a Grand Slam main draw, how could I say that he isn’t a star of the future following such a win? This is the kind of result that comes around very rarely. And while some might say that it was a fluke, I’ve seen enough talent in Nardi’s game to say that he is definitely one to watch for the future!
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