The players like it in Indian Wells. The event in the Californian desert is the most important tennis tournament after the four majors in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York. In the scene the event is called “Tennis Paradise”. The facility in the middle of the Coachella Valley is surrounded by palm trees and looks like an artificial green oasis. The arenas are at Grand Slam level. The Californian mountain ranges line up on the horizon. There are golf courses everywhere. There is hardly a better place in the world for tennis professionals to chase yellow felt balls.
Novak Djokovic also loves it in Indian Wells. This is also due to the past. He has already triumphed here five times. And this year he had clearly formulated his goal. He would settle for nothing less than his sixth title “in the Valley”. The sporting shock for the world number one came just a few days after his victory was announced. Late on Monday evening California time, the 24-time Grand Slam champion sat in front of the press and had to explain his 4:6, 6:3 and 3:6 defeat against the Italian “lucky loser” Luca Nardi. Nardi is in position 123 in the world rankings; Djokovic had never lost a match at a Masters event or at Grand Slam level against a player so low in the rankings in his entire career.
At first he tried to classify the embarrassment as one would expect from Serbs when they lose: calm, a bit condescending and rather indifferent: “You know,” the old master began, “that’s just part of the sport. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. It’s completely okay. You just have to accept it.” Then he looked at himself. “I was rather surprised by my level. My level was really, really bad,” said Djokovic. Yes, that was true. The Serb didn’t play good tennis, producing a total of 31 so-called “unforced errors”, the unforced errors that are so damned for tennis players, and his otherwise splendid return game only took place in the second set.
More vulnerable than expected?
The fact that he was critical of himself was commendable, but Djokovic could have highlighted the young Italian’s splendid performance a little more in his analysis. Nardi did brilliantly in this match of his young life. The 20-year-old had actually already been eliminated in qualifying and was only included in the main draw because another player was injured. He somehow kept Djokovic at bay for the entire duration of the game, almost always had control and the shots that were needed to secure such a victory. In the third and decisive set he scored 16 direct points alone. In addition to the “winners”, his serve was also a big factor. It is significant that he ended the match with his sixth ace.
“I think it’s a miracle,” says Luca Nardi after his win against Djokovic. : Image: AFP
The amazing thing about this match: For Djokovic, this experienced champion, there is almost always a way back in such close matches. But the turnaround just didn’t happen this time. And now the tennis world is asking why. Because it wasn’t Djokovic’s first defeat recently, there is rumblings in the scene. Nobody really dares to say it (yet). But the core question that remains is: Has the untouchable man reached a point in his career where he seems more vulnerable than many of his opponents have previously believed?
It looks a bit like that right now. The past few weeks and months have not gone well for Djokovic. The trend, which is now solidifying after the defeat against Nardi, had its origins at the ATP finals in Turin in mid-November. In the group stage he lost to Jannik Sinner. That didn’t have any consequences, Djokovic ended up winning the tournament of the year’s best. Just a few days later, the Serb lost again to Sinner. In the Davis Cup semifinals, the up-and-coming Italian fended off three match points in a row and won a memorable game.
A shell of himself
The start of the season in Australia also didn’t go according to plan for the Grand Slam record winner. At the United Cup he lost to Alex de Minaur. Everything wasn’t so bad, one would have thought. It was just a preparation tournament for the Australian Open. Normally it’s like this: When it comes down to it and it’s about the big trophies, Djokovic is in a class of his own. But in Melbourne he found his match again in the eventual winner Sinner. The semi-final match was a show of strength from the currently strongest player on the tour.
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And now the embarrassment of Indian Wells. Djokovic played – this has to be noted in his defense – dominantly, especially in the second set. But for the entire duration of the game it was more of a shell of himself that stood there on the pitch. Djokovic had the overall picture clearly in mind afterwards: “So far I haven’t been able to win a title this year. This is unusual for me,” he said. He can only break the “small negative cycle” with victories. What he meant was tournament wins. Djokovic doesn’t do any of that. But the competition is lurking now – more than ever and perhaps like never before.