Novak Djokovic stunned by world No.44 at Madrid Open
Former world No.1 Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise defeat at the 2025 Madrid Open in Spain on Saturday, crashing out of the ATP Masters 1000 event in a straight-set loss to world No.44 Matteo Arnaldi.
Djokovic entered the match as a $1.28 favourite across Tennis betting sites , despite having lost the first round at the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier in the month.
However, the Serbian was far from his best, spraying 32 unforced errors over the course of the one-hour, 41-minute clash as he slipped to his fifth loss to a player outside of the world’s top 30 in 2025.
“I’ve had a few of these this year where I lose in the first round, unfortunately,” Djokovic said after the match.
“I knew that it’s going to be a really tough opening match for me in this tournament.
“Arnaldi is a really good player, a quality player.
“I didn’t have too many matches on clay. I did practice well, but it’s completely different when you step out on the match court.
“I think the positive thing is that I really enjoyed myself more than I have, you know, in Monte Carlo or some other tournament, so that’s a good thing.
“But obviously still the level of tennis is not where I would like it to be.
“But, you know, it is what it is. I lost to a better player.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was candid in his post-match press conference about the new reality that he faces, having now lost his third match in a row for the second time this season.
“Kind of a new reality for me, I have to say,” he said.
“You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.
“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis.
“It’s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments.
“That’s, I guess, the circle of life and the career; eventually it was going to happen.
“I’m trying to use this as a driving force for the future.
“Obviously Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me.
“Which doesn’t mean that I don’t want to win here; of course I wanted to, but Grand Slams are where I really want to play the best tennis.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that in Roland Garros, but I’ll do my best.”
Despite his form, Djokovic remains third-favourite with top bookmakers to win the 2025 French Open next month, priced at $7 behind Carlos Alcaraz ($2) and Jannik Sinner ($3.50).
Arnaldi, meanwhile, heads into the third round of the Madrid Open as a $1.30 favourite at BetOnline to defeat Damir Dzumhur.
