Madrid, 27 April

After losing a second straight opening match and three in a row overall, Novak Djokovic said he was facing a “new reality” in his two decades of pro tennis.

Djokovic's public coming to terms with his rare losing streak came after he fell in straight sets to Matteo Arnaldi in his first match of the Madrid Open on Saturday.

The 37-year-old Djokovic came to Spain after also losing his opener to Alejandro Tabilo at the Monte Carlo Masters two weeks ago and, before that, the Miami Open final.

“I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte Carlo. (It's) kind of a new reality for me, I have to say, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament," Djokovic said.

The struggles by the winner of 24 Grand Slam titles coincide with the start of the clay-court swing culminating in the French Open next month.

“It's a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis,” he said.

“It's a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in tournaments.”

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 face Damir Dzumhur after he rallied past Sebastian Baez 1-6, 6-1, 6-2.