Novak Djokovic on Saturdary admitted that he may have played his last ever match in Madrid after losing out to world 44th ranked player Matteo Arnaldi in the opening round at Caja Magica. Notably, this was also the fourth consecutive opening defeat for the Serb following a loss against Alejnadro Carlo just a couple of weeks ago.
Arnaldi defeated the Serb 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday, delaying his hunt for the 100th career title. The Italian player was overjoyed by his second top five win as he raised his arms and turned to the crowd to soak in the glory. Later on when given the marker for the customary message to the TV audience, Arnaldi wrote “OMG”.
Prior to his win in Caja Magica, the Italian player had defeated the world number 4 player Casper Ruud in straight sets that took him for the first time in top 100 of the ATP rankings.
Novak Djokovic after Madrid Open shocker:
Asked if it was his last match in Madrid, Djokovic said, “It could be. It could be. I’m not sure if I will come back. So, I don’t know, I don’t know what to say. I mean, I’ll come back, maybe not as a player, of course. I hope it’s not, but it could be.”
“I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte-Carlo. Kind of new reality for me, I have to say. 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, so it’s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face these kind of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments. But, you know, that’s, I guess, the circle of life and the career (smiling), eventually it was going to happen. Now I’m trying to, you know, use this as a driving force for the future.” Djokovic added
