Novak Djokovic loses to Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid Open 1st round - ESPN

MADRID — Novak Djokovic cupped his ear to demand more applause from the crowd after the 24-time major winner chased down an apparently lost ball and won an improbable point.

Instead of sparking a comeback, it turned out to be Djokovic's last gasp as he fell in straight sets to Matteo Arnaldi in his first match of the Madrid Open on Saturday.

The 37-year-old Djokovic has lost three matches in a row; including losing the Miami final, and his opener to Alejandro Tabilo at the Monte Carlo Masters two weeks ago as he struggles at the start of the clay-court swing ahead of the French Open next month.

Arnaldi won 6-3, 6-4, delaying Djokovic's search for a career 100th title. The Serb was undermined by 32 unforced errors to his opponent's 18 and had his serve broken three times.

It was the first meeting between Djokovic and 44th-ranked Arnaldi of Italy.

«He's my idol, he's always been,» Arnaldi said of Djokovic. «To play him at a stage like this was already a victory for me. He's not at his best right now, so I came on court to try to play my best tennis and win and it happened.»

Arnaldi raised his arms and turned to the crowd after striking a winner that gave him a second-set break. Djokovic tried to hit right back and had three break points, but Arnaldi rallied to save his serve and finished off the three-time champion.

He wrote «OMG» (Oh my god) on the camera when given the marker for the now customary message by the winner to the television audience.

Djokovic is still seeking his first title of the season after winning his 99th title last August at the Paris Olympics. He has lost four finals since then. The only two players to reach the 100-title milestone are Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103).

Arnaldi will next