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Top seed begins quest for sixth title at the year's opening ATP Masters 1000 tournament
March 09, 2024

Novak Djokovic is a five-time champion in Indian Wells.
By ATP Staff
Novak Djokovic survived an opening-round scare in his return to competition at the BNP Paribas Open Saturday, taken the distance by World No. 69 Australian Aleksandar Vukic before eventually grinding out a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory.

Stepping on court in a light green shirt and grey shorts, Djokovic largely played within himself early in the match as he eased his way back into match play for the first time since his semi-final loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open in late January.

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But the five-time Indian Wells champion was forced to up his aggression as the match wore on to contend with Vukic’s forehand, which often dictated play, particularly from the middle and Ad-side of the court. As he found his range from the back court, Djokovic claimed the decisive break in the fifth game of the third set before closing out the match after a competitive two hours and 10 minutes.

"Five years is quite a long time for a professional tennis player but at the same time playing here the last time in 2019 felt like yesterday," Djokovic said.

"I connected with the crowd and everyone I haven't seen in five years very quickly. A lot of people come to practice sessions, not just mine. It's amazing to see that much passion and respect and appreciation for tennis and tennis players. It's awesome to be in Tennis Paradise."





A holder of a record 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles, Djokovic notched his 400th match win at that level, joining Rafael Nadal (406) as the only players to have reached the milestone.

Returning to the Californian event after a five-year absence, Djokovic will look to claim a record sixth title in Tennis Paradise, which would see him become just the third man to reach 1,100 match wins, assuming no walkovers along the way.

Vukic had the better of extended rallies against Djokovic, clubbing 19 winners from the baseline to Djokovic’s 13, including 18 from the forehand wing, according to Infosys ATP Stats. But Djokovic won 83 per cent of points on his first serve and pounced on his opponent’s second serve, restricting Vukic to winning just 27 per cent of second-serve points.

Djokovic paid tribute to Vukic’s bold approach to the match. "He played amazing and deserved great credit and applause,” Djokovic said. “The crowd really appreciated his tennis and the quality was really high. He played some ripping forehands and crushing serves. It was difficult to go through him.

"He was going for it and it was going in. I kind of managed to crack the code in the third set and once I broke his serve I felt I stepped it up a bit and finished off the match in style.”


The 36-year-old, who has spent a record 415 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, last won the BNP Paribas Open in 2016, when he lifted the trophy for the third consecutive year.

The Serb will next meet Italian lucky loser Luca Nardi, who defeated China's Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. It will be the first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair.

Serbian is five-time Indian Wells champion
March 10, 2024
Novak Djokovic was competing for the first time since January.Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Novak Djokovic was competing for the first time since January.
By ATP Staff
Back on court and winning again, Novak Djokovic is aiming to use his opening-round victory at the BNP Paribas Open against Aleksandar Vukic as a building block for further improvement.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings was competing for the first time since January, when he lost to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals at the Australian Open. He was not at his free-flowing best against Vukic, but found a way to advance in three sets.

“I know I can always produce better tennis,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “Obviously very self-critical and I think [to] some extent it's also important because then it puts you in the right mindset of wanting to work more and being engaged in the process of improving on a daily basis or trying to perfect your game and right the wrongs that you've done in a previous match or previous practise session.

“So that's what I'm going to keep doing and hopefully building my game as this tournament is played over 10 to 14 days. It allows you to have the practise days also between matches, which allows you to work on certain specifics in the game. I think as the tournament progresses, I believe my game will get better as well, I will feel more confident about myself and my chances to go far in the tournament. I have to take it step by step.”

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Djokovic, a five-time champion in Indian Wells, was competing at the ATP Masters 1000 for the first time since 2019. The 36-year-old admitted he felt nerves in the early stages of the match against Vukic, but was pleased to have been tested.

“It was very important. Obviously at one point I was a bit worried because I lost a set and then in the beginning of [the] third it was kind of going toe to toe,” said Djokovic, who won 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. “But I thought the chances will come. Stay in the match and try to raise the level of tennis.

“I have to give him credit because he stepped it up. He served well, ripping forehands towards the end of the second, beginning of the third, and was just deservedly still in the match. Could I have done some things better? Yeah, of course I could. But hopefully [there is a] bit less rust that I'm feeling for the next match and the continuation of this tournament.”

Djokovic is chasing a record-extending 41st ATP Masters 1000 title in California, with his victory against Australian Vukic his 400th at this level. The Serbian is aiming to clinch a record sixth Indian Wells crown and will next meet Italian lucky loser Luca Nardi.