From almost leaving the venue before 1st main-draw match to stunning Novak Djokovic in 3R: Luca Nardi's rollercoaster journey in Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic's 2024 Indian Wells Masters campaign came to a grinding halt on Monday, March 11. The five-time title winner was upset by Luca Nardi in the third round.

Nardi's journey at this year's edition of the event had a bumpy start. After winning his first round qualifier against Terence Atmane he lost the next round of the qualifiers to David Goffin. He later entered the main draw as a Lucky Loser in the second round of the event.

The Italian defeated Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round to register his first victory against a Top 50 player.

Nardi faced Djokovic in the third round of the event, barely a week after his second-round qualifiers defeat. With the Serb off his A-game, Nardi capitalized on opportunities to win the first set. Unfazed, the 24-time Grand Slam champion's flair was back as he claimed the second set.

The duo went toe-to-toe and were at their best in the decider set. The 20-year-old eventually came out on top, earning the biggest win of his career with a scoreline of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

This was Novak Djokovic's first loss to a player outside the Top 50 since a defeat to No. 109 Taro Daniel in 2018 Indian Wells. At No. 123, Nardi is the lowest-ranked player to defeat Djokovic at the ATP Masters 1000 or Grand Slam level since 2008.

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Lucky Loser Luca Nardi overjoyed with "crazy" win against Novak Djokovic in R2 of Indian Wells 2024

The Italian and the Serb pictured at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters

In an on-court interview after his win against Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters, Luca Nardi spoke of keeping his nerves while playing the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

The 20-year-old expressed his initial disbelief at his win and found it "crazy".

"I don't know [how I held my nerve]," he said of the tense finish. "I think it is a miracle, because I am a 20-year-old guy, 100 in the world, and beating Novak. It's crazy," said Nardi as per the ATP website.

The Italian added that he was inspired by his compatriot Jannik Sinner.

"For sure I'm watching Jannik winning all the matches. For sure it's something that pushed me to be better. I didn't expect to win today, but I always try to do my best in practice, and this happened and I'm really happy," he added.

Nardi will next square off against Tommy Paul in the Round of 16 on Wednesday, March 13.