"In his mind, he’s already won";"Slapped Novak Djokovic on vibes alone" - Fans react to Luca Nardi being clueless about next Indian Wells opponent

Luca Nardi served up a hilarious moment during his press conference after stunning Novak Djokovic in the Round of 32 at the Indian Wells Masters.

Nardi's hopes of playing a main draw match at this year's Indian Wells seemed to have ended after he lost to David Goffin in qualifying. However, the withdrawal of another player from the main draw gave the young Italian a chance to shine as a lucky loser. Zhang Zhizhen was Nardi's first main draw victim, as the Chinese suffered a 3-6, 6-3, 3-6 loss.

However, the 20-year-old registered the biggest win of his career so far when he took down Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the Round of 32. The World No. 123 is the lowest-ranked player to have beaten the Serb at the ATP Masters 1000 level.

In the Round of 16, he is set to lock horns with Tommy Paul, who defeated Ugo Humbert in the previous round. During a press conference following his monumental win against Djokovic, the Italian was asked about his thoughts on facing Paul. He provided a rather clueless response.

"Tommy Paul for what? I play against him? Oh really... I didn't know that, I mean I didn't check the draw. Okay, so thanks for letting me know," Nardi answered (via The Tennis Letter).

On social media, fans were left in splits after watching Nardi's response. One user opined that Nardi thought he had already won the Indian Wells Masters title.

"In his mind he’s already won the entire tournament," they wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Another user was amused by Nardi's lack of awareness in terms of knowing who his opponent is in the next round.

"Lmao didn't check the draws as how ? Boy slapped Djoko on vibes and vibes alone," they wrote.

A third user poked fun at Paul, saying:

"what is it? What's a Tommy Paul? Is it some weird American snack or some clothes brand?"

Yet another user suggested that the Italian doesn't want to play another match after beating Djokovic.

"Id be shocked too cause what do you mean by Paul Tommy??? I just beat NOVAK DJOKOVIC. Why do I have to play again? Just give me the title," they wrote.

Here are some more reactions from tennis fans:

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Novak Djokovic - "Luca Nardi was playing more free and more aggressive than I did"

Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters

Djokovic's return to Indian Wells after 5 years ended in shock as he was outclassed by Nardi. In his press conference, the Serb dissected the game and laid bare the reason behind his loss.

"I made some really terrible unforced errors. Just quite defensive tennis, and, you know, not much on the ball in the third, and that's it. You know, he just stepped in and he used the time that he had. He was playing more free and more aggressive than I did," Djokovic said.

Djokovic was also asked about where he will play next with the Miami Open coming up immediately after the conclusion of the Indian Wells Masters. However, he refused to confirm his participation in Miami.

"Let's see, obviously 10 minutes ago I was on the court, so I'm still hot-headed a bit. I need to take a day or two and then see what I want to do next," the World No. 1 said.