April 26, (THEWILL) – World number four Novak Djokovic failed in his pursuit of a 100th career title after Italian Matteo Arnaldi defeated him 6-3, 6-4 in the Madrid Open second round.
The Serbian star, seeded fourth in the tournament, has now exited at the first hurdle in consecutive events following his opening round loss to Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo earlier this month.
Arnaldi, ranked 44th globally, claimed only the second top-five victory of his career and commemorated the achievement by writing ‘OMG’ on the camera lens post-match. The 24-year-old Italian maintained composure throughout the contest, breaking Djokovic’s serve in the eighth game before wrapping up the first set in 48 minutes.
Djokovic, a three-time champion in Madrid, committed 20 unforced errors in the opening set and finished with 32 total.
Jude Obafemi, THEWILL
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
