Novak Djokovic survived a scare before advancing to the Indian Wells fourth round on Monday.
Djokovic, the world number three, looked well on his way to securing a comfortable victory after winning the first set 6-4 against Aleksandar Kovacevic.
However, Kovacevic roared back to claim the second set 6-1.
Djokovic held his nerve to see out the contest, winning the deciding set 6-4.
Djokovic will face defending Indian Wells champion Jack Draper, who said the Serbian star is the ‘greatest player of all time.’
By defeating Kovacevic on Monday, Djokovic laid claim to another all-time tennis record: one previously held by Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic surpasses Rafael Nadal
As per OptaAce, Novak Djokovic has now reached the most ’round of 16s’ at ATP Masters 1000 events of any player in tennis history.
Novak Djokovic or Tiger Woods… who is the better sportsman? 🤔
With victory over Kovacevic, Djokovic reached a 113th career round of 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 event, surpassing Rafael Nadal’s total of 112.
Nadal recorded his 112th and final Masters round of 16 appearance at the 2024 Madrid Open. The Spaniard, who entered via his protected ranking, beat Darwin Blanch, Alex de Minaur and Pedro Cachin before losing to Jiri Lehecka.
Nadal played his last Masters 1000 event at the 2024 Italian Open. The 22-time major champion beat Zizou Bergs before losing to Hubert Hurkacz.
As for Djokovic, he will have the opportunity to extend his lead over Nadal when he competes in future Masters 1000 events.
While the Serbian star is 38 and nearing retirement, he is still one of the best players in the world, as demonstrated by his world number three ranking.
He also demonstrated this by reaching the 2026 Australian Open final before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s first Masters 1000 events
Nadal participated in his first Masters 1000 event at the 2003 Monte-Carlo Masters.
The Spaniard, a qualifier, beat Karol Kucera to set up a meeting with Spanish fourth seed Albert Costa.
Nadal stunned his compatriot, recording his first win against a top 10 player.
Two years later, Djokovic made his Masters 1000 debut.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
The Serbian superstar debuted at the Cincinnati Masters, where he lost in the first round to Fernando Gonzalez.
Djokovic won his first Masters 1000 matches later that year, beating Victor Hanescu and Mariano Puerta before losing to Tommy Robredo.
