Italian Matteo Arnaldi has ended Novak Djokovic’s bid for a fourth Madrid Open title, after he was dumped out of the Madrid Open 6-3 6-4 in the second round.
Djokovic made his Madrid debut in 2006 and won the tournament in 2011, 2016 and 2019.
However, he does not yet know if he will play again in Madrid. When asked if it was his final match there, he said: “I’m not sure if I will come back. So, I don’t know.
“I mean, I’ll come back, maybe not as a player. I hope it’s not, but it could be.”
“level of tennis is not where I would like it to be”, and added: “I lost to a better player.
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“I’ve had a few of these this year where I lose in the first round, unfortunately,” Djokovic said.
It was a second career win against a top-five player for Arnaldi, 24, who was facing the Serbian fourth seed for the first time.
“He’s my idol, he’s always been, so I was just glad that I could play him,” Arnaldi said.
“To play him on a stage like this was already a victory for me.
“But he’s not at his best right now so I came on court to try to play my best tennis and win and it happened, so right now I don’t even know what to say.”
Three-time champion Djokovic, 37, made 32 unforced errors against an opponent who brought a series of delightful shots out of the bag throughout.
It meant a third straight defeat for the 24-time Grand Slam winner, who is seeking a 100th career title.
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He also lost in his opening match in Monte Carlo earlier this month, after being beaten in the Miami Masters final in March.
Also progressing to the next round with Arnaldi are British trio Cameron Norrie, Jacob Fearnley and Jack Draper.
British number three Norrie, who is recovering from illness, started slowly against Czech Jiri Lehecka before winning 2-6 6-4 6-0.
Fearnley, the British number two, similarly lost his first set before overcoming another Czech in top-20 seed Tomas Machac, booking his passage to the next round with a 1-6 6-3 6-2 victory.
Then world number six Draper put in a dominant performance against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, winning 6-3 6-4 to set up a match with Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the next round.
