Novak Djokovic's poor form continued as he unexpectedly fell to young player Matteo Arnaldi with a score of 3-6, 4-6 in the second round of the Madrid Open 2025. This was also Nole's second consecutive loss in this year's clay court season.
Notably, Djokovic has lost his opening match in four of his last five tournaments and this is the first time he has lost consecutive opening matches of the Masters 1000 since 2018.
The world No. 5 had previously lost his opening match of the Monte-Carlo Masters, losing in the final of the Miami Open. Despite arriving in Madrid early to prepare with coach Andy Murray, Djokovic still could not regain his usual form.
Arnaldi's solid and confident playing style, along with Djokovic's decline in physical and mental strength, turned the match into a "nightmare" for the Serbian legend.
Despite the defeat, Djokovic still gave his junior a smile and a warm hug.
Djokovic made 20 unforced errors in the first set alone, losing the break after two consecutive double faults. Despite some flashes of brilliance, his lack of consistency continued to cause him to miss opportunities.
24-year-old Arnaldi did not flinch when serving to end the match, despite great pressure from the audience and opponents, forcing his idol Djokovic to stop early.
Arnaldi with the moment of celebration on camera lens
After the match, Arnaldi wrote “OMG” on the lens to celebrate, emotionally sharing: “He is my idol. Just playing with him is a victory, but today I also won this match.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic, despite losing, still smiled and hugged his promising young opponent.
With this victory, Arnaldi has won against a top 10 player for the second time in 2025, the fifth time in his career.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/djokovic-som-roi-madrid-open-doi-mat-chuoi-phong-do-te-tu-sau-nam-2018-196250426230707868.htm
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