Novak Djokovic has only played one tournament so far this year, but he made it count by reaching the final of the Australian Open.
The Serbian hit top form in Melbourne, which peaked with Djokovic’s stunning victory against Jannik Sinner in the semi-final.
Djokovic opted out of the ATP Tour’s Middle Eastern swing in Qatar and Dubai and he previously withdrew from the Adelaide International before the Australian Open.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has now finally confirmed that he will be playing the first Masters tournament of the year in Indian Wells.
Novak Djokovic says finally says yes to Indian Wells
Djokovic has an incredible record at Indian Wells and he will return to the Californian desert to play the Masters event.
The Serbian has been training away from Indian Wells in recent days, at the University of California, which led some fans to believe he may not be playing the event.
Can Carlos Alcaraz win MORE Grand Slams than Novak Djokovic? 🤔
However, Djokovic’s official website has now added the ATP 1000 event to his schedule, so he will be in contention to win his sixth title in California.
Djokovic has won the event in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016, but the tournament has become less of a priority to him in recent years.
The Serbian did play the event in the last two years, where he reached the second and third round, respectively, but those were his only two appearances in the last two years.
Djokovic was stunned at last year’s event by Botic van de Zandschulp, who entered the competition as a lucky loser.
Looking back on Novak Djokovic’s last victory at Indian Wells
Djokovic’s last victory at Indian Wells came all the way back in 2016, when he dropped just one set on his way to lifting the trophy.
Bizarrely, the only player to take a set off Djokovic at the tournament was American qualifier, Bjorn Fratangelo.
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The American, who only made it to World No. 99 in the rankings, gave Djokovic a closer game than Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Milos Raonic.
- First round: BYE
- Second round: Bjorn Fratangelo (2-6, 6-1, 6-2)
- Third round: Philipp Kohlschreiber (7-5, 7-5)
- Fourth round: Feliciano Lopez (6-3, 6-3)
- Quarter-final: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (7-6, 7-6)
- Semi-final: Rafael Nadal (7-6, 6-2)
- Final: Milos Raonic (6-2, 6-0)
Raonic, in particular, struggled with Djokovic’s level in one of the more one-sided finals in Indian Wells history.
The Canadian managed to take just two games off Djokovic in the final, and he was bagelled in the final set.
Djokovic left Indian Wells to immediately win the Miami Open, and he is the last player to win the Sunshine Double in the same year.
