Home

Tennis

Novak Djokovic’s ‘Shocker’ Indian Wells Outing Leaves John McEnroe’s Brother in Complete Disbelief

Published 03/11/2024, 11:57 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Imago

The Indian Wells Masters just served tennis fans with one of its biggest upsets recently. Novak Djokovic lost to lucky loser Luca Nardi, and fans are unable to believe the result. Many are showing signs of surprise on social media, including the brother of John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, who found himself astounded at the result.

The bout between Djokovic and Nardi was a great clash to watch as the two players traded blow for blow. Being a clash of Djokovic, it would feel unfinished without some drama, which took place in the second set.

“…beaten by 20 year old” – John McEnroe’s brother said what the whole tennis fraternity is thinking about

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

In round 3 of the Indian Wells Masters, Novak Djokovic faced Luca Nardi and found himself with a difficult challenge. The 20-year-old Italian, who idolizes the 24-time grand slam champion, played toe-to-toe against him. He would go on to beat him in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, ending the clash with an unreturnable serve.

Patrick McEnroe could not believe his eyes as he saw the Serbinator exit from the tournament against the Italian youngster. He shared his reaction on social media as he wrote, “Wow….Novak is beaten by 20-year-old Luca Nardi @BNPPARIBASOPEN Shocker“. His win is made more astounding by the fact that Nardi lost round 2 of the qualifying bouts and managed to snag a wild card in the BNP Paribas Open. 

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

He won an insurmountable challenge and will go back to rest with a big smile on his face. His reaction after his win also showed his satisfaction with himself as beating Djokovic is certainly not an easy feat. The clash was highly entertaining due to the great display of tennis and the drama that ensued in the second set.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“He confused me completely” – Djokovic battles with the umpire

Djokovic served for a game in the second set where Nardi had the advantage. Djokovic served around the middle line of the box, and Nardi returned the ball with a drop shot, with lax body language. Djokovic went up to return with another drop shot on Nardi’s forehand, who ran up and returned brilliantly. However, Djokovic had paused in his tracks, seeming perplexed.

The conversation with the chair umpire followed, “He stopped”, and the chair umpire replied, “Just because he stopped doesn’t mean the point stops”. Djokovic rebuffed, “What are you talking about? He literally stopped and that’s it. He confused me completely. I stopped as well. How can you not make that judgement? Are you kidding me or what?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The set would be won by Djokovic, but glory would be taken by Nardi, who ousted the Djoker on his Indian Wells comeback stint.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Ripunjay Gaba

1,706Articles

One take at a time

Ripunjay Gaba, a tennis enthusiast-turned-journalist at EssentiallySports, found his way from freelance sports journalism to the publishing house in ES. Here, his writing canvas encompasses the game specifics while finding poetic resonance in covering major sporting events. Ripunjay, a perpetual upgrader, uses avid reading to bring varied flavor to his Tennis reporting.
Show More>

Edited by:

Ananya Giri