Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Novak Djokovic’s Roland Garros preparation took a serious hit, and his losing slide continued today in Madrid.
Facing his tennis idol, Italian Matteo Arnaldi was a half-step quicker and a shot sharper shocking Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in a massive Mutua Madrid Open upset.
“Obviously after you lose a match you don’t feel good, but I’ve had a few of these this year where I lose in the first round, unfortunately,” Djokovic told the media in Madrid. “Yeah, I knew that it’s going to be a really tough opening match for me in this tournament. Arnaldi is a really good player, quality player. I didn’t have too many matches on clay.
“I did practice well, but it’s completely different when you step out on the match court. I think the positive thing is that I really enjoyed myself more than I have, you know, in the Monte-Carlo or some other tournament, so that’s a good thing. But obviously still level of tennis is not where I would like it to be.
“But, you know, it is what it is. I lost to a better player.”
Playing his idol for the first time, Arnaldi had one simple aim.
“At the start, I was just trying not to shit my pants, to be honest,” Arnaldi said with a smile. “Because when I got on court, I’ve never played on this court, to be honest, I’ve never even practiced on it.”
It’s a historic upset for Arnaldi, who is the first man ranked outside the Top 30 to defeat the former world No. 1 in Madrid. He didn’t soil himself either, though he sure dirtied up his shoes with some determined gets of Djokovic drop shots.
Growing up in Italy, Arnaldi watched Djokovic matches and dreamed of someday playing his tennis hero. Today, he turned their first encounter into a dream day.
“I just tried to enjoy, but when you get on court it’s a little bit different,” Arnaldi told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “Because you don’t know if you’re going to get this chance again. It’s always been my dream to play him.
“I just wanted to enjoy it and not go off the court having some regrets.”
This red clay loss puts Djokovic fans on red alert with Roland Garros looming one month from now.
It is Djokovic’s third straight loss following his 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Alejandro Tabilo in Monte-Carlo and his 7-6(4), 7-6(4) loss to 19-year-old Jakub Mensik in the Miami Open final.
Traditionally, gluten-free Djokovic absorbs three-match losing streaks about as often as he gorges on pizza.
Yet this is his second three-match losing streak of 2025 following his retirement from the Australian Open semifinals, his Doha defeat to Matteo Berrettini and Indian Wells setback to Botic van de Zandschulp.
You can point to the 37-year-old Serbian superstar’s advancing age—he turns 38 on May 22nd—declining confidence, lack of match play or the fact the rest of the world’s players are so pumped up to play him.
Reflecting on it all, Djokovic said he must accept this is the player he is right now.
“I mean, 20 years, you know, I didn’t experience what I’m experiencing in the last 12 months,” Djokovic told the media in Madrid. “So, you know, early exits and, you know, way too many. But it is part of the sport, and you have to accept the circumstances and try to make the best out of the circumstances in your favor for whatever is coming up.
“Yeah, I mean, look, I cannot sit here and complain about my career or anything, you know, I’m not doing that. But it’s a different feeling that I just have to embrace, accept, and deal with in a special way.”
