Italian Matteo Arnaldi delivered a magnificent performance to stun three-time champion Novak Djokovic in his opener in Madrid on Saturday at the Caja Magica.
World No. 44 Matteo Arnaldi found his best tennis to take out fourth seed Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 41 minutes in Manolo Santana Stadium on Saturday.
During his on-court interview, Arnaldi outlined: “I was just glad that I could play him. I never played him, just practiced with him. To play him on a stage like this was already a victory for me. 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.”
Following his massive win over the 24-time major champion, the Italian will face Damir Dzumhur. The Bosnian player beat Argentine Sebastian Baez in three sets earlier on Saturday.
Djokovic, making his 13th appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open, his first since 2022, set off to a poor start in their first meeting at tour level.
Arnaldi set the tone of his game, playing with aggression from the outset.
He went on to take an early lead, extending his advantage to 2-1, but Djokovic quickly broke back and held to square the scoreboard to 2-2.
In the fifth game, they rallied, which favored the Sanremo’s native game, fending off a break point before taking a 3-2 lead.
They moved forward, holding their ground until the eighth game, when the Serbian double-faulted, gifting the Italian a crucial break to come out on top 5-3 and serve for the match.
Arnaldi capitalized on his chances to pocket the opener 6-3 in 48 minutes.
There were some moments of brilliance from the Belgrade-born side of the net in the second set as he picked up the level, trailing by a set.
Nonetheless, once again, the world’s No. 5 best form was lacking; on Saturday, the 37-year-old contested his first match on clay since his early exit in Monte-Carlo, beaten by Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo.
Digging deep to produce a late challenge, Djokovic’s superb court coverage saw him come through an 18-shot rally in an electrifying battle at deuce that brought the spectators to the edge of their seats.
Raising to the occasion, Arnaldi held his nerve to neutralize his opponent, even the score 3-3, inching closer to becoming the first player ranked outside the Top 30 to shock the three-time champion in Madrid.
The Italian converted a break in the seventh game while Djokovic’s efforts fell short, missing his chances to break straight back, finding himself down 3-5.
In survival mode, he served to stay alive in the match, narrowing the gap to 4-5.
Unbothered by the notable pressure, the 24-year-old served out for the match 6-4, recording the biggest win of his career, stunning the former world number one in outstanding fashion.
He hit 21 winners against 18 unforced errors compared to the 99-time ATP titlist, 21 to 32 (17 with his backhand), respectively.
The Italian achieved his best results thus far this season by reaching the Dallas Open quarterfinals and the semifinals in Delray Beach last February.
