WATCH: Luca Nardi, who defeated Novak Djokovic, suffers a fall and injury at the Tiriac Open as opponent Seyboth Wild rushes in to help

Tiriac Open returns to the ATP Calendar after eight years in hiatus.

WATCH: Luca Nardi, who defeated Novak Djokovic, suffers a fall and injury at the Tiriac Open as opponent Seyboth Wild rushes in to help

Luca Nardi injury at at the Tiriac Open (Via Imago/screengrab X)

Italian ace Luca Nardi twisted his ankle, suffering a nasty fall, while playing against Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild in the first round of the Tiriac Open.

However, a great sportsmanship display from Wild got the spotlight of the match as the 24-year-old rushed to help his opponent with a chair.

YouTube video

In a video posted by Tennis TV on X (formerly known as Twitter), Nardi tried forcing his body to turn right, having presumed that Seyboth Wild would play it at the left baseline. 

FS Video

He took a nasty fall and was seen holding his ankle as he covered his face in anguish, with the umpire alerting the medical team. Wild rushed to him with a chair and helped him sit as he recovered from the ankle twist.

Nardi fought himself into the game after losing 6-4 in the first set of the ATP 250 event. He won the second set after a tiebreak of 7-6 (5). However, in the third set, he twisted his ankle, which made him fall in an ugly way. The Italian was strongly leading 4-2 and needed just two match points to win the game.

Despite continuing after the fall, Nardi looked out of shape as Wild took the opportunity to turn the game around. With two points down, Wild saved all of Nardi’s five match points, winning the game 6-3, 6-7 (5), and 7-6 (2).

Nardi, who defeated Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells in March, will be hoping that he returns from injury as quickly as possible. Wild will go on to face Mariano Navone in the second round of the Tiriac Open. 

All you need to know about the 2024 Tiriac Open

The Tiriac Open returns to the ATP calendar after eight years of hiatus. The Stellar ATP 250 outdoor clay competition is the biggest event in Romania, based in Bucharest.

Tiriac Open via Tennis Insider

Its first event was held in 1996 and was won by Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach, Goran Ivanisevic. The 2024 edition of the tournament is the 25th edition.

Notable players like Sebastien Korda, Gael Monfils, Stan Wawrinka, and Tallon Griekspoor will compete at this year’s edition from April 15 to 21. The total prize money of the Tiriac Open has seen a 25% increase of $617,410 from the last time the event was held in 2016. 

The winner of the title will go home with a $93,919 check, a 6.9% rise from the amount 2016 champion Fernando Verdasco received.

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