24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has officially announced his return to tennis competitions at Indian Wells. The Serb was recently knocked out in the opening round of the Qatar Open to Matteo Berrettini in straight sets, which rang alarm bells about his form and fitness.
Things escalated when Djokovic was seen not walking correctly while going to Doha’s departure lounge. However, he has now confirmed himself available for the first Masters 1000 event of the season at the BNP Paribas Open. He is the five-time champion at the event and holds the record for most titles with Swiss great Roger Federer.
Novak Djokovic came into the 2025 season with renewed optimism. The Serb had announced his new coach, Andy Murray, as part of the team, which stunned the world. Djokovic had a decent Australian Open campaign, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal. However, he could not back up his win against Alexander Zverev and lost in the semifinals.
Djokovic’s fitness issues were the most important during the Australian Open. The right-hander sustained a knee injury during his quarterfinal win against Alcaraz. He threw in the towel in the semifinals after losing the first set against Zverev. The Serb left the court with a choir of boos ringing around the Rod Laver Arena.
Due to his injury, Djokovic was expected to be out long after the Australian Open. However, he announced that he had recovered quickly and returned to fully fledged competition at the Qatar Open. However, he lost to Matteo Berrettini in the opening round to put his form and fitness under more question marks.
Indian Wells provides Novak Djokovic to return to the winning circle. The Serb has not won an ATP title since the ATP World Tour Finals in 2023. Djokovic’s only title since that year-end championship was the Olympic Gold Medal in Paris, where he beat Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to complete his trophy cabinet.
Unfortunately, Indian Wells has not been a happy hunting ground for Djokovic recently. The Serb has been a five-time champion at the event but has not won the title since 2016. Last year, he got knocked out in the Round of 32 against Luca Nardi. Hence, he hopes to change the results in that tournament and hope for better performances in the coming weeks.
Novak Djokovic has officially announced his return to Indian Wells, which adds to the tournament hype. With Jannik Sinner banned from the tennis circuit, the Serb’s chances to return to the winner’s circle automatically increase. However, he needs to know how he feels physically if he wants to remain competitive at age 37.
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