Novak Djokovic’s bid for a fourth Madrid Masters title is over after he was beaten 6-3 6-4 in the second round by Italian Matteo Arnaldi.
It was a second career win against a top-five player for Arnaldi, 24, who was facing the Serbian fourth seed for the first time.
“He’s my idol, he’s always been, so I was just glad that I could play him,” Arnaldi said.
“To play him on a stage like this was already a victory for me.
“But 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, so right now I don’t even know what to say.”
Three-time champion Djokovic, 37, made 32 unforced errors against an opponent who brought a series of delightful shots out of the bag throughout.
It meant a third straight defeat for the 24-time Grand Slam winner, who is seeking a 100th career title. He also lost in his opening match in Monte Carlo earlier this month, after being beaten in the Miami Masters final in March.
Also progressing to the next round with Arnaldi are British duo Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley.
British number three Norrie, who is recovering from illness, started slowly against Czech Jiri Lehecka before winning 2-6 6-4 6-0.
British number two Fearnley similarly lost his first set before overcoming another Czech in top-20 seed Tomas Machac, booking his passage to the next round with a 1-6 6-3 6-2 victory.
