The 2025 Madrid Open delivered a seismic shock on Saturday, April 26, as Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion, suffered a stunning first-round defeat to Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi, falling 6-3, 6-4 in just 1 hour and 41 minutes on the clay courts of the Caja Mágica. The loss, marking Djokovic’s fourth first-round exit in five tournaments this year, was overshadowed by his poignant post-match comments, where he hinted that this could mark his final appearance at the tournament he has won three times. “It could be. I’m not sure if I will come back,” Djokovic said, his tone heavy with reflection. “I mean, I’ll come back, maybe not as a player, of course. I hope it’s not, but it could be.” These words sent a chill through the tennis world, raising questions about the future of one of the sport’s greatest icons.
The match began with an unusual prelude—a two-legged robot parading onto the Manolo Santana Stadium court to deliver balls, briefly delaying the players’ entrance. Once the action started, Arnaldi, ranked No. 44, seized the moment with fearless aggression, breaking Djokovic’s serve to take a 2-0 lead in the first set. The 24-year-old Italian, who idolized Djokovic as a schoolboy, played with remarkable poise, firing 21 winners and committing just 18 unforced errors. “Pretty much. Without any doubt. He’s my idol,” Arnaldi said, beaming with pride after defeating the player he once watched secretly on his phone under his desk. Djokovic, by contrast, struggled, conceding 32 unforced errors and failing to find his rhythm, ceding the first set 6-3 in just over 30 minutes.
In the second set, Djokovic showed glimpses of his legendary resilience, generating three break points to level the score. But Arnaldi’s composure held firm, particularly in a critical 4-3 game where he saved his serve, drilling the final nail in Djokovic’s campaign with a break to secure the 6-4 set. “I was just glad that I could play him because I had never played him—just practised once,” Arnaldi added, noting the emotional weight of facing his hero on such a grand stage. The Italian’s victory, his second over a top-five player, propelled him into the third round to face Bosnian Damir Dzumhur.
Djokovic’s defeat is part of a troubling 2025 season, where he has yet to claim a title. His only deep run came at the Miami Open, where he reached the final before falling to Jakub Mensik. Early exits at the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, and Monte Carlo—where he lost to Alejandro Tabilo—have left the 37-year-old grappling with a new reality. “Kind of new reality for me, I have to say,” Djokovic admitted, describing his modest goal for Madrid: “I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte-Carlo.” The contrast to his 20-plus years of dominance, where failing to go deep in tournaments was unthinkable, was stark. “It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis,” he said, acknowledging the mental challenge of early exits.
The Serbian’s return to Madrid, his first since 2022, was highly anticipated. A three-time champion (2011, 2016, 2019), Djokovic arrived under the guidance of coach Andy Murray, who oversaw his preparations at the Caja Mágica. Yet, the high-altitude clay, which favors aggressive play, exposed his struggles. “My level of tennis is not where I would like it to be,” he confessed, though he found a silver lining: “I really enjoyed myself more than I [did] in Monte-Carlo, so that’s a good thing.” Posts on X captured the sentiment, with fans lamenting his “new reality” while marveling at Arnaldi’s “athleticism and court coverage,” calling the upset a sign of tennis’s “insane” evolution.
Djokovic’s comments about potentially not returning as a player fueled speculation about retirement. At 37, with 99 career titles and a record 411 Masters 1000 wins, he remains in pursuit of a 100th title, a milestone only Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) have reached. His next stop is the Italian Open, a tournament he’s won six times, offering a chance to regain form before defending his French Open title. Despite the setbacks, Djokovic’s competitive fire flickered in moments—like chasing an improbable point and rallying the crowd—reminding fans of his enduring spirit.
For Arnaldi, the victory was a dream realized, a testament to the sport’s generational shift. As Djokovic contemplates his future, the tennis world watches, wondering if Madrid has seen the last of its Serbian titan. His legacy, however, remains unshakable, even as new stars like Arnaldi rise to challenge the old guard.