"I helped him play well & I didn't help myself at all" - Novak Djokovic rues 'terrible' errors, windy conditions in Indian Wells loss to Luca Nardi

Novak Djokovic shared his disappointment over the level of tennis he displayed in a shock loss against Luca Nardi at the ongoing Indian Wells Masters, stating that he made some "terrible" unforced errors that made life easy for the Italian. The World No. 1 also rued the windy conditions on site, pointing out that it was wildly different from what he experienced during previous practice sessions.

Taking on Nardi in the third round on Monday, Djokovic fell 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 to record his second loss in three matches this year. Previously, he had lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Australian Open back in January.

Speaking at his post-match press conference afterward, Djokovic admitted that his tennis on the night was far too defensive, allowing Nardi to play with a lot more freedom than he would have expected coming into the contest.

"No if I didn't make him, but I really didn't make him. I helped him play well, and I didn't help myself at all. I made some really terrible unforced errors. Just quite defensive tennis, and, you know, not much on the ball in the third, and that's it," Djokovic said.

"You know, he just stepped in and he used the time that he had. He was playing more free and more aggressive than I did, and going for his shots and that break on 3-2 in the third was enough," he added.

Despite commenting on the conditions that helped Luca Nardi, Djokovic gave the Italian youngster his due for pulling off the win without succumbing to his nerves.

"Just a bit of windy conditions today. Completely contrary to what I was having in my training sessions these days, and the first match, but still, it's not an excuse. I should have done much better. But again, credit to him for pulling it off," Djokovic said.

Nardi will next take on American Tommy Paul in the Round of 16, while the 24-time Grand Slam champion prepares himself for the next Masters 1000 event of the year -- the Miami Open.

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Novak Djokovic: "My level was really, really bad"

BNP Paribas Open 2024 - Day 9

Novak Djokovic admitted during the press conference that he did not know much about Nardi in the build-up to the clash, just the fact that he was a quality baseliner with a powerful forehand.

The Serb also felt that Nardi getting into the main draw at Indian Wells as a lucky loser could have worked to his advantage, as it allowed him to play without anything to lose. Before beating Djokovic, Nardi took down Zhang Zhizhen in his opener.

Regardless, the World No. 1 was left far more surprised by his own level, which he could only sum up as "really, really bad."

"I watched him play. I didn't know much about him, but I watched him play, and I knew he possesses great quality tennis from the baseline, especially the forehand side. Moves well. Very talented," Djokovic said.

"He got in as a Lucky Loser to main draw, so he really didn't have anything to lose, so he played great. Deserved to win. I was more surprised with my level. My level was really, really bad," he added.