Djokovic survives scare in Indian Wells return

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.

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."

Delivering when it mattered most ✉️@DjokerNole upped his Fh #ShotQuality level in set 3 📈

Djokovic's 52-week avg 9.1
Top 10 avg. 8.3
Tour avg. 7.6#TennisInsights | @atptour | @BNPPARIBASOPEN pic.twitter.com/sabUzWr98U

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 10, 2024

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.”

Back with a bang 💥@DjokerNole returns to the third round at Indian Wells, d. Aleksandar Vukic 6-2 5-7 6-3.@BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/cxfVWvfUoo

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 10, 2024

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.