“Every night I go to bed I see Novak” – Nardi plans to keep poster up after beating Djokovic
Nardi said he started to believe that he could have a chance to win the match only after the first few games
Luca Nardi and Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells 2024
Image Credit: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic
Italy’s Luca Nardi grew up with a poster of his idol Novak Djokovic on his walls. On Monday evening in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters, the 20-year-old, who came in as a lucky loser into the tournament, faced off against the 24-time Grand Slam champion for the first time and came away with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win to reach the fourth round.
But the 123rd ranked Nardi has no plans to take Djokovic’s poster off his walls anytime soon. “I do (still have Djokovic’s poster), yes. Every night I go to bed I see Novak. I think starting from now, I will keep going, now, for sure (smiling). No, I’m kidding, but yes, I have it and I think that I will keep it.” Nardi told the media on Monday after the win. “I couldn’t even imagine to play a match against him, and now I also beat him. So it’s such a dream come true for me.”
Before the match I spoke to my coach and I said, I don’t want to lose 6-1, 6-1.
Luca Nardi on his match against Novak Djokovic
Nardi revealed that he went into the match not wanting to go down in a lop-sided match but a few games into the match, he started to believe that maybe he could have a good chance of winning the match.
“Honestly, in the first two or three games, I thought that — before the match I spoke to my coach and I said, you know, I don’t want to lose 6-1, 6-1,” he said. “After three or four games, because there was so much windy today, so it wasn’t easy to play for both of us, and I think I started good. I realize that during the rally I was feeling good. So, I don’t know, yeah, maybe in the first games.”
Having watched a lot of Djokovic’s matches over the years, Nardi believed that his familiarity with the Serb’s game and Djokovic’s unfamiliarity with his might have given him an advantage.
“Before the match, I’m 20 years old, and we are out watching him play, so I watch his matches, 10 years, for sure. The only one advantage that I had, it was that he didn’t see me never play,” Nardi said. “So for sure, it was, like, surprise for me that I could be able to play the rally. And maybe in the three or four games I realize that I could play, like, 50/50, no, but like 60 and 40 game, and going to in the match, I felt I was playing good.”
Nardi will go on to face American Tommy Paul with a spot in the Indian Wells quarter-finals on the line.
