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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (LL) Luca Nardi
Date: March 11, 2024
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, US
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize Money: $8,995,555
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel/TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Novak Djokovic vs Luca Nardi preview
Top seed Novak Djokovic will take on lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open on Monday.
After a first-round bye, Djokovic faced Aleksandar Vukic in the second round. Contesting his first match at Indian Wells since 2019, the Serb got down to business within no time. He broke his opponent's serve in the very first game of the match and again towards the end to take the set.
Vukic issued a strong response as he pushed ahead 3-0 in the second set. However, Djokovic bagged the next three games to level the score. He later served to stay in the set at 6-5, when his opponent broke his serve to capture the set.
Djokovic was in no mood to catapult. Just like so many times in the past, he upped the ante in the deciding set. From 2-1 in the third set, he took five of the next six games to score a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 win.
Nardi initially fell in the qualifying rounds but got a second lease of life as a lucky loser. He replaced Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the draw and received a bye in stead and faced Zhizhen Zhang in the second round.
Nardi raced to a 5-1 lead in the opening set, which proved to be too much for his opponent to recover from and soon claimed the set. Zheng fought back to take the second set but his resistance crumbled in the decider as the Italian took charge to score a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory.
Novak Djokovic vs Luca Nardi head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Novak Djokovic vs Luca Nardi odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Novak Djokovic vs Luca Nardi prediction
Djokovic overcame a second set stumble to finish the match on a strong note against Vukic. The Serb won 83% of his first serve points and struck a total of 23 winners during the match.
Nardi has made the most of his second shot as he upset the higher-ranked Zhang to advance further. The young Italian blasted 32 winners to fight past his opponent. However, his journey is likely to conclude at this stage.
This was Djokovic's first match since his loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open. There were some signs of rust, yet his ballstriking was remarkable and his serving was even more precise.
Djokovic definitely thrives more on faster surfaces these days, yet his level is so high that opponents find it tough to exploit his weaknesses elsewhere. Nardi is one of the many rising young stars from Italy, though outplaying the World No. 1 could prove to be to much of a tall order for the 20-year old.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.
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