Dating back to the start of 2018, Novak Djokovic had lost three matches in a row only once heading into 2025. He has now endured not one but two three-match losing streaks this season.
Djokovic’s struggles continued with a 6-3, 6-4 setback against Matteo Arnaldi in round two of the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday afternoon. The 37-year-old Serb, who fell in the Miami final to Jakub Mensik and then lost his Monte-Carlo opener against Alejandro Tabilo, succumbed to the 24-year-old Italian after one hour and 41 minutes.
Down by a set and a break, Djokovic seemed to be battling back when he led 0-40 on his opponent’s serve at 4-3. However, Arnaldi reeled off five points in a row for a clutch hold and then held easily at 5-4 to clinch victory.
“He’s my idol; he’s always been,” Arnaldi said of Djokovic. “I was just glad that I could play him. I never played him, just practised with him. To play him at a stage like this was already a victory for me. He’s not at his best right now, so I came on court to try to play my best tennis and win, and it happened, so right now I don’t even know what to say.
“I was just trying to rally a bit at the start, trying to make him [make] some mistakes. Then once it starts, you start to feel better, the tension goes a little bit away. He gave me a little bit in a few games. For sure it helped me that I broke him straight away so I was like, ‘Alright, that’s a good start,’ and then after that it was an escalation. I started to play better and I think it became quite a good match.”
Djokovic also lost three straight matches earlier this year in the Australian Open (semis against Alexander Zverev), Doha (Matteo Berrettini), and Indian Wells (Botic van de Zandschulp).
Arnaldi will face Damir Dzumhur in a surprising third-round showdown on Monday.
