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Clad in black, luckly loser Botic van de Zandschulp was armed with a Babolat rather than a scythe.
The dangerous Dutchman continues to play Grip Reaper to Grand Slam champions.
World No. 85 van de Zandschulp shocked Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 bursting into the Indian Wells third round for the second time.
Five time BNP Paribas Open champion Djokovic, one of the most devastating returners in the sport's history, managed just four break points, won only seven points on the Dutchman's second serve and could not consistently control his drives.
Afterward, a disconsolate Djokovic summed up a frustrating Saturday with "no excuses for a poor performance."
"I mean, it's always something happening, but I don't want to talk about it. I mean, obviously no excuses for a poor performance," Djokovic told the media in Indian Wells. "Just it doesn't feel great when you play this way on the court, but congratulations to my opponent.
"You know, just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me. You know, I regret for the level of tennis, considering how I practice these days. To be honest, the difference between the center court and the other courts is immense. Ball is bouncing on the center courts higher than some of the highest clay courts, to be honest. Yeah, just struggled a lot with that. Couldn't find the rhythm."
The Dutchman denied Djokovic’s bid to tie rival Rafael Nadal’s record for most ATP Masters 1000 wins in series history (410) while dealing the Serbian superstar a historic defeat.
"I know if I lose my cool it's gonna be a really tough day," van de Zandschulp said afterward. "So that's one thing I'm always trying to do well, especially against big guys because I know I need to be cool."
Four of the top seven-seeded men failed to survive opening weekend as No. 1 Alexander Zverev, No. 4 Casper Ruud, No. 6 Djokovic and No. 7 Andrey Rublev all lost.
This marks just the second time in the last 17 years Djokovic has lost three consecutive matches. It's the second straight year the Olympic gold-medal champion fell to a lucky loser in Indian Wells.
Remember, the 10-time Australian Open champion was forced to retire from the AO semifinals in January due to a torn left leg muscle after dropping the opening set to Alexander Zverev.
Last month, Matteo Berrettini tattooed his forehand and shattered self-doubt, shocking Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-2 to spoil the veteran’s comeback in Doha. Winless in four prior meetings vs. the former No. 1, Berrettini beat Djokovic for the first time, handed the Serbian superstar his first opening-round, hard-court loss since he fell to Benoit Paire at the 2018 Miami Open and derailed the veterans’s drive for his 100th career title.
Today, Djokovic look unsettled by the high sun and a little listless once the Dutchman got rolling.
At 1-all, van de Zandschulp stormed through 16 of 18 points blowing up the set for a 5-1 lead before snatching the opener.
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A master of extending points throughout his career, Djokovic was suddenly trying to play exterminator. Resorting to the serve-and-volley and some drop shots, Djokovic seemed unwilling to try to construct longer points.
Van de Zandschulp has a habit of bringing his best against the best.
The Dutchman snapped Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match major winning streak sending the Spaniard packing in a shocking 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 US Open upset last August.
Last November, Van de Zandschulp ended Rafael Nadal’s career with a 6-4, 6-4 sweep in Davis Cup.
Today, van de Zandschulp accelerated through the finish line. Van de Zandschulp broke for 3-1 in the decider. Quick off the mark, he ran down a Djokovic drop shot and shoveled an angled pass to break again for 5-1.
A philosophical Djokovic said he's frustrated by continued struggles to stack successive positive performances together as he's done for so many seasons.
"I'm disappointed that I lost, but I guess, you know, if you put things in that larger perspective, of course I've had an incredible career," Djokovic said. "Being consistent for so many years, obviously you have high expectations of yourself. You know, things are different obviously for me the last couple of years.
"I've been struggling to play on the desired level. Every now and then, I have couple good tournaments, but, you know, mostly it's really a challenge.
"It's a struggle for me. So it is what it is. You know, I guess nothing can prepare you for that moment, in a sense. You have to experience it and try to deal with it in the best possible way."
Djokovic’s final shot sailed and van de Zandschulp had his first win over the OIympic gold medal champion.