Novak Djokovic confirmed to return to Indian Wells for the first time in five years
Novak Djokovic has been announced to return to Indian Wells for the first time since 2019, in the world No.1’s first tournament following his Australian Open semi-final defeat.
Djokovic lost at the semi-final stage of the Melbourne major for the first time in his career to eventual champion Jannik Sinner, in a match that the Serb described as ‘one of the worst Grand Slam matches’ he had ever played.
This prompted the question about where Djokovic would be playing next, as he has elected to skip competing in Dubai for the first time since 2019.
And it has now been confirmed that Indian Wells will be Djokovic’s first tournament back, after being unable to compete at the ATP Masters 1000 event for the past two years due to his Covid-19 vaccination status.
A welcome return to #TennisParadise ????@DjokerNole will compete in Indian Wells for the first time since 2019! pic.twitter.com/i9YIo4wJTc
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) February 4, 2024
However, after a change in rules last year, Djokovic is now able to enter the United States of America once again and can compete in California.
It is currently unclear as to whether Djokovic will also compete at the Miami Open and bid for a historic fifth ‘Sunshine Double’.
Inside the baseline…
It is great news for the Indian Wells tournament that their joint record title-holder and world No.1 Novak Djokovic is returning. It would seem likely that he would compete at both Indian Wells and the Miami Open, but that will probably depend on how his tournament in California goes. Although Djokovic has won five titles at Indian Wells, he actually hasn’t surpassed the fourth round in his last three appearances.
Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells
Djokovic currently holds the joint record with Roger Federer for most titles at Indian Wells, so we wanted to look back at his record in the desert as he bids for more history:
Win-loss record: 50-9 (85%)
Number of Titles: 5
2008 – Beat Mardy Fish, 6-2 5-7 6-3
2011 – Beat Rafael Nadal, 4-6 6-3 6-2
2014 – Beat Roger Federer, 3-6 6-3 7-6(3)
2015 – Beat Roger Federer, 6-3 6(5)-7 6-2
2016 – Beat Milos Raonic, 6-2 6-0
A familiar sight ????@djokernole seeks a sixth trophy in the desert ???? #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/pMEacPX4KH
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) February 4, 2024
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