In the ever-changing tennis environment, Luca Nardi emerges as the next sensation, channeling the explosive energy once generated by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. What sets these three competitors apart is a unique performance that has sent shockwaves throughout the tennis world: each has defeated one of the sport’s most recognizable figures, Novak Djokovic.

Their brave challenges and victories, from the great stage of the Wimbledon final last year to the esteemed courts of Indian Wells this year, have heralded a new era in tennis domination. But do you know that Nardi and Alcaraz already knew each other before defeating the Serbian star? Recently, an old picture of both ATP stars together grabbed a lot of attention, receiving several reactions from tennis fans.

Tennis fans react to the two who defeated Novak Djokovic 

Recently, the 20-year-old Italian tennis player grabbed a lot of attention as he defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the third round of the Indian Wells. After this amazing victory for Nardi, a picture of him with Alcaraz, who has also defeated Djokovic. He won the 2023 Wimbledon title, and the Spaniard defeated the Serb in the final championship round.

A picture of both of them, who defeated the world number one, was recently shared by Eurosport. It was a picture that was taken in 2017 in which Nardi was seen giving a piggyback ride to the 20-year-old Spaniard, as they looked cheerful together. After looking at that picture, tennis fans flooded the comment section with their reactions over the Djokovic slayers, who spent time together before defeating the top-ranked tennis player.

Looking at the black-and-white picture, a fan highlighted how it looks like “it look more like 1917”  than 2017. On the other hand, a fan drew a relationship between them and the Serb; he tagged them as the “co-parents of Djokovic.” While that was not it, a fan expressed his take on the picture, and wrote, “Boys just gotta have fun!”

Subsequently, another one made a future prediction regarding how the Italian rising star might give the two-time Grand Slam champion a tough competition, “I was thinking Luca would give Carlos a run for his money.” At the same time, another fan highlighted how this new generation is quite good and stands at the top of the ladder, “This new generation is top!” However, while Alcaraz was quite known in the tennis world before defeating the Serb, let’s take a look at what the Italian has to say about achieving such a victory.

‘Lucky Loser’ Nardi on defeating Djokovic 

After achieving the biggest win of his career by beating world number one, the 123rd-ranked tennis player has also become the fourth lowest-ranked player to beat a number one star at a Masters 1000 event. After the win, he clearly sounded happy and said, “I think that before this night no one knew me.”

Not only that, he also talked about the tense finish with which he won the game. He stated, “I don’t know [how I held my nerve]. I think it is a miracle because I am a 20-year-old guy, 100 in the world, and beating Novak. It’s crazy.” But after achieving the unthinkable against the 24-time Grand Slam champion, an old connection between Alcaraz and Nardi impressed tennis fans.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on Alcaraz and Nardi’s year’s old picture? Do let us know in the comment section below.

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