Matteo Arnaldi reveals how being a Novak Djokovic fan worked in his favor after knocking out his idol from the Madrid Open
Novak Djokovic has not won a title since winning the Olympic Gold medal last August against Carlos Alcaraz.
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Matteo Arnaldi Novak Djokovic (via X)
Matteo Arnaldi earned the biggest win of his career by beating Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 at the Madrid Open. The unseeded Italian had grown up watching Djokovic on TV, which helped him get ready for the match.
After the match, Arnaldi said that facing Djokovic in real life felt very different from just watching him on TV. He also said that talking with his team and studying carefully helped him a lot in getting this win.
I have watched many of his matches, I know his game very well, that plays in my favor, because I don’t think he has ever seen me play, maybe on some occasion. I have watched all of his matches, and today it served me well. At various moments, I knew what he was going to do. He’s not at his best moment, still playing well, he’s a different player.
Matteo Arnaldi said in his post-match press conference
Next, Arnaldi will play against Damir Dzumhur. Dzumhur reached the next round after beating 32nd seed Sebastian Baez 1-6, 6-1, 6-2.
When you see him on TV it’s completely different from when you face him. I knew what I was going to do, but in a match there are many factors to consider that you can’t control. I know him very well because I have watched many of his matches. I knew some things he could do in the match.
Matteo Arnaldi added
This was Arnaldi’s second career win over a top-five player, both coming in Madrid. In 2023, he had also beaten then-world No.4 Casper Ruud at the Caja Magica.
Matteo Arnaldi opens up on Novak Djokovic being the favorite for Roland Garros
Italian player Matteo Arnaldi has opened up about Novak Djokovic’s chances at Roland Garros despite his early exit in Madrid. The Serb has not won a single clay match so far in 2025, with opening-round exits at both Monte Carlo and Madrid.
In a best-of-five it’s a different story, for me, he will still be one of the favorites.
Matteo Arnaldi said in his post-match press conference
Interestingly, Djokovic has not lost a match at Roland Garros in three years. His last defeat on the Paris clay was in the 2022 Roland Garros quarterfinal against Rafael Nadal.
Last year, he withdrew from the Roland Garros quarterfinals against Casper Ruud after sustaining a meniscus tear. He later won the Olympic gold medal by defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics. This year, however, his form on clay is the worst it has ever been. Overall, the Serb has played only one ATP final in 2025, which came at the Miami Masters.
Novak Djokovic sets unwanted record after losing at Madrid
Novak Djokovic faced another early loss, this time against Matteo Arnaldi at the 2025 Madrid Masters.
Arnaldi played strong and beat Djokovic 6-3, 6-4. He easily served out the match and moved into the third round of the tournament.
This was Arnaldi’s second win against a top-five player. Djokovic had not lost his first match in Madrid since 2013, when he was beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in three sets. This time, though, Djokovic was far from his best.
The Italian had a tough first-round match against Borna Coric, where he needed three sets to win. However, he looked much better against Djokovic on the Manolo Santana court. A key moment came when Arnaldi saved three break points at 4-3 in the second set. After that, he stayed strong and finished the match without trouble.
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