For his return to Indian Wells after five years of absence, and at a period of the season which is not his most prolific in several years, we did not necessarily expect that Novak Djokovic, 36 years old, would win his fifth title at Indian Wells.
But certainly not to see him leave the “tennis paradise” in the 3rd round against a lucky loser (the Italian Luca Nardi, winner 6-4, 3-6, 6-3) after a performance as deserted as the surroundings of the Californian Masters 1000.
However, it is important to put the poor performance into perspective and not send the world number 1 into retirement too quickly...
0
After two and a half months of competition and nine small matches, the Serbian has still not won any title in 2024. It must be said that he has only played... two events (Australian Open, where he was beaten in the semi-final by Sinner and Indian Wells).
Now very selective in his programming, the world No. 1, who has won almost everything, only comes out for special occasions.
With therefore mathematically fewer opportunities to add lines of titles to your already well-stocked guest book.
In sixteen years, this is barely the third time (after 2018 and 2022) that he is still empty-handed in mid-March.
5
Since the first of his ten coronations in Australia in 2008, the Djoker has already experienced five seasons without titles in Melbourne, Indian Wells and, extrapolating, Miami.
If we also consider the start of the season on clay, we see that he hardly shines in Monte-Carlo since his success in 2015 (never better than a quarter-final)...
8
If the setback suffered by the Belgrade native in California is surprising given the modest pedigree of his opponent, it is less so in view of his last tours at the start of spring in the United States.
For eight years - and his Indian Wells-Miami double in 2016 - Djokovic has never done better than a round of 16 in each of the two tournaments (between 2017 and 2019).
Then his status as unvaccinated against Covid-19 banned him from American soil…
📊 For the 9th time since 2007, Novak Djokovic lost to a player ranked outside the Top 100:
🇷🇸 Troicki, No. 176 (Umag 2007)
🇿🇦 Anderson, No. 122 (Miami 2008)
🇷🇸 Krajinovic , N°319 (Belgrade 2010)
🇦🇷 Del Potro, N°141 (2016 Olympic Games)
🇺🇿 Istomin, N°117 (Australian Open 2017)… pic.twitter.com/fG0phqT5Ea
— Game, Set and Maths (@JeuSetMaths) March 12, 2024
9
Since 2007, the world No. 1 has only lost nine times to a player with a triple-digit ranking.
If we only take into account the Grand Slams or Masters 1000, the defeat against Nardi (123rd) is his worst setback since 2008 (Anderson, 122nd, in Miami).
417
His premature exit does not call into question Djokovic's place at the top of the ATP.
The Serb will begin the 417th week of his career next Monday with the No. 1 on his back.
That's more than eight years.
And in the coming weeks, he will have fewer points to defend than Alcaraz and Sinner, the two likely heirs to the crown.
2003
Like Alcaraz or Rune, Luca Nardi was born in 2003. The year Djokovic made his debut on the professional circuit.
The winner of the Petits As de Tarbes in 2017 is even the youngest player to beat the man at the 24 Grand Slams since… Alcaraz in Madrid in 2022, when the Spaniard celebrated his 19th birthday.
Enough to give it a little bit of age again...