Arnaldi eliminates Djokovic in Madrid Open 1st round

Nole wanted more applause from the crowd after the 24-time Grand Slam champ chased down an apparently lost ball and triumphed with the point.

However, that didn’t result in a comeback as the Serbian lost in consecutive sets against Matteo Arnaldi in his 1^st clash of the Madrid Open today.

Novak has been defeated in 3 straight matches, including losing the title at the Miami Open and his 1^st match at the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo against Alejandro Tabilo 2 weeks ago. The Serbian is yet to win a match on clay before the start of the French Open in May.

First meeting vs Djokovic ✅
First win vs Djokovic ✅

Matteo Arnaldi earns his second top 5 win in impressive fashion 💪#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/RBpNXWj3Pz

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— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 26, 2025

Matteo secured the victory 6-3, 6-4, delaying Novak’s search for a 100^th career trophy. Djokovic made 32 unforced errors as Arnaldi finished with only 18 and lost his serve 3 times.

That was the 1^st match between the Serbian and his Italian opponent.

“Novak is my idol, he has always been,” shared the Italian after the win. “To face him in such an important match was a win for me despite the result. He is not at his best at the moment, so I had the chance to win and I did it.”