Carlos Alcaraz's Doha opponent Luca Nardi issues word of caution by highlighting his past upset against Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz, who has advanced to the second round of the ATP 500 event in Qatar, received a word of caution from his next opponent Luca Nardi. The Italian, drawing confidence from his past upset over Novak Djokovic, signaled his readiness for the challenge against the four-time Major champion.

Speaking to ATPTour.com recently, Nardi acknowledged the challenge of facing Alcaraz but was encouraged by his past victory over Djokovic. The 21-year-old noted that the Spaniard, coming off his Rotterdam triumph, could present a tough challenge in their next match.

"It’s not going to be easy, but I did it once with Novak. I know that he didn't play the best match of his life, and I had an opportunity and I took it. Tomorrow it's going to probably be the same because Carlos won a tournament last week and he's always playing better and better, match by match, in a tournament. So it's not going to be that easy,” he said.

Nardi clinched a major victory last year in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, defeating 24-time Major champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

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"We played a couple of times when we were kids": Luca Nardi reminisces about his history with Carlos Alcaraz

In the same interview, Luca Nardi recalled playing against Carlos Alcaraz in their early teens and acknowledged he never won. He mentioned that Alcaraz matured physically earlier, which led to fewer interactions over the years.

“We played a couple times when we were kids. We were 13 or 14, and he always won. I never beat him, never had a chance. When we were 14, 16, we played the same tournaments, but then he ‘grew up’ a bit earlier, so I didn’t have lots of chances to talk with him for years, but we are friends," he said.

Nardi further recalled playing the World No. 3 for the first time in Spain, where Alcaraz dominated him with his drop shots and powerful strokes.

“The first time we played was maybe in Spain. He beat me easy. He was always playing every shot: drop shots, hitting hard. He's always been the same,” he added.

Nardi secured a spot in the second round with a straight-sets win over China’s Zhang Zhizhen, while Alcaraz did the same against Marin Cilic. Although they played frequently as teenagers, their second-round clash in Doha will be their first tour-level meeting.