Novak Djokovic to Skip Miami Masters After Indian Wells (2024) Defeat: A Closer Look at the Surprising Turn of Events
Novak Djokovic’s decision to skip the upcoming Miami Masters comes after his surprising defeat at Indian Wells.
On Tuesday, Novak Djokovic, making his first appearance at Indian Wells since 2019, lost 4-6 6-3 3-6 to Italy’s Luca Nardi in the Round of 32. The 20-year-old Nardi, who is also ranked No. 123, celebrated his enormous victory by dropping his racket, bringing his palms to his face in apparent shock, and embracing childhood hero Djokovic at the net.
The Italian, who defeated No. 122 Kevin Anderson in Miami in 2008, also became the lowest-ranked player to beat Djokovic in a Grand Slam or ATP Masters 1000 level event. Djokovic was anticipated to compete at the Miami Masters, which was set to start on March 22, following Indian Wells. However, it appears that he will not be participating in the Miami Open, as Serbian writer Sasa Ozmo has revealed.
Similar to this, Djokovic skipped matches in February after losing to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinal before making a comeback at Indian Wells.
Following his loss, Djokovic said at a press conference, “Well, Miami is there for the time being, so let’s see. Well, I was on the court ten minutes ago, so I guess I’m still a little hot-headed. I must give it a day or two before deciding what to do next.”
He complimented Nardi, saying, “He really had nothing to lose because he entered as a lucky loser for the main draw. He therefore performed admirably. deserved to triumph. My level startled me even more. My performance was appallingly low.”
In the meanwhile, Nardi declared, “This is a miracle.” I’m 20 years old, 100 years old, and I’m defeating Novak. So absurd. Absurd. No one knew who I was before tonight. Now hopefully everyone enjoyed the game. I’m very pleased with this one.
As a lucky loser—a player who fails to go past the final qualifying round—Nardi was added to the main draw to fill the spot of an ailing player who had to withdraw before the opening round. Nardi entered the race for Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the Indian Wells.
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