Luca Nardi stuns boyhood tennis idol Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells

Nardi said it was ‘crazy’ that he beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion and his tennis idol after qualifying for the match as a lucky loser.

Luca Nardi used a combination of poise and power to stun his boyhood tennis idol and top seed Novak Djokovic with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California.

Nardi, ranked number 123, closed out the huge upset over the world number with an ace and a look of disbelief late on Monday.

The 20-year-old from Italy dropped his racquet and brought his hands to his face before greeting Djokovic at the net.

“Before this night no-one knew me,” Nardi said in an on-court interview after his win.

“I hope the crowd enjoyed the game; I’m super happy with this one.”