Madrid — After losing the first change for the second time and suffering his third defeat, Novak Djokovic said he faced a “new reality” in his two decades as a professional tennis player.
The public confession of Djokovic for his unusual streak of defeats occurred after falling into sets followed before Matteo Arnaldi in his debut at the Madrid Open on Saturday.
The 37 -year -old Serbian lost the Miami final against Jakub Menšík and then fell against the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the Montecarlo Masters, clearly to the tumbos at the beginning of the clay tour towards the France Open next month.
Arnaldi sang Victoria 6-3, 6-4 and Djokovic will continue waiting for title 100 of his career. The key? Djokovic totaled 32 un -forced errors against 18 of Arnaldi, in addition to suffering three breaks of serve.
“My tennis level is still where I would like,” said Djokovic. “It’s what there is. I have lost against someone superior.”
“It’s a new reality for me, I have to recognize it,” he reflected. “I seek to win a game or two, without thinking that I have to go far in the tournaments. It is a completely different sensation from the one I have had for more than 20 years in the circuit. Something different on the track. I suppose it is the cycle of life. I had to happen at some point.”
It was the first confrontation between Djokovic and Arnaldi, an Italian who is currently number 44 of the ranking.
“It’s my idol, it has always been,” Arnaldi said after the victory in the Magic Box of the Spanish capital. “I was delighted to compete before him. We had never faced each other, we only trained together. Play before him on a stage like this was already a victory for me.”
“It is not at your best level at this time, so I jumped to the track willing to make my best tennis and get victory. It has happened and I have no words to describe it,” added the Italian.
Djokovic continues to hunt its first title of the season after conquering number 99 last August at the Paris Olympic Games. He has lost four finals since then. The only men who have reached 100 titles are Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103).
-Arnaldi’s rival will be the Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who traced to overcome Argentine Sebastián Báez by 1-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Meanwhile, the Italian Lorenzo Mussetti took another step to break into the top 10 of the ATP ranking by winning 7-6 (3), 6-2 to Argentine Tomás Etcheverry. Musseti reached his first final of a 1000 Masters in Montecarlo in the middle of the month, succumbing to Carlos Alcaraz.
In addition, the Australian Alex de Miñaur (6th preclassified) dispatched 6-2, 6-3 to Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
The Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva settled in the round of 16 of Madrid for the third year in a row after defeating 7-5, 6-3 to the Magdalena Frech.
Andreeva, 17 years old and seventh of the ranking, has never lost prior to the fourth round of the clay surface tournament.
He reached the eighth phase for the first time in 2023 as Wildcard in just his second participation in a main WTA. Last year, he reached the quarterfinals of a 1000 WTA for the first time in the Spanish capital.
“It was very nervous,” Andreeva said. “I still find my best tennis in Madrid. Super happy to have maintained a level consisting of the entire game.”
Andreeva, who will turn 18 on Tuesday, will now be seen with the Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva, victorious 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0 on the Russian Liudmila Samsonova (18th head of series).
The American Coco Gauff (4th preclassified) and Madison Keys (5) signed up victories in corrido sets.
Keys, the reigning champion of the Australian Open, realized 7-5, 7-6 (3) of the Russian Anna Kalinskaya. Gauff eliminated his compatriot Ann Li.
