Luca Nardi pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament during Indian Wells last year. Ranked at No. 123 in the world, the Italian got into the main draw as a lucky loser and he made the most of his late entry, stunning top seed Novak Djokovic in the third round.
But, 12 months on, Nardi says people still don’t know his name. Reflecting on the biggest win of his young career, the 21-year-old admitted he was known as the “guy who beat Djokovic” and revealed that he still had a poster of the tennis icon on his wall.
Nardi sent shockwaves through the draw in Indian Wells last year. After losing in qualifying, the Italian still had the opportunity to make his main draw debut at the tournament when some withdrawals meant he got a lucky loser spot.
Aged just 20, Nardi had never even played a top five player when he met then-world No. 1 Djokovic in round three.
But he rose to the occasion, winning 6-4 3-6 6-3 to send the five-time former champion packing.
It should have been the moment that Nardi announced himself to the tennis world. However, a year later, the current world No. 67 says he’s still an unknown name in the sport.
“Usually I’m not Luca Nardi. I am the guy that beat Novak Djokovic. Maybe they don’t know the name, but I am the guy that beat Djokovic,” the 21-year-old told the ATP.
During his incredible run last year, it emerged that Nardi had a poster of Djokovic on the wall of his childhood bedroom.
The photo had been there since he was a kid, and he confirmed that it remains there to this day.
Recalling the biggest night of his career, the Italian admitted he expected to make a mistake. “The match point I thought that I could make a double fault, which I usually do. And I played an ace,” he continued.
“[It was] very crazy. Going to the net with him and knowing that I won and he lost, it was something that I could never imagine. So it was a very nice moment.”
Nardi’s season stagnated last summer but he has since rediscovered his form and is at a new career-high ranking of No. 67.
He added: “Actually, after that match, [my play was] not that good. But in the end of the year and in the last months, for sure I’ve [been] playing better. And yeah for sure, the ranking is going higher.”
Nardi was beaten by Briton Cam Norrie in his opening match of Indian Wells on Thursday, losing 6-0, 6-3.