Match Report
Djokovic drops set but battles to opening Indian Wells victory
Serbian is five-time champion in Indian Wells
March 08, 2026
ATP Tour
Novak Djokovic in motion in Indian Wells on Saturday.
By Sam Jacot
Novak Djokovic overcame an opening-round scare from Kamil Majchrzak on Saturday on the BNP Paribas Open, the place he rallied from behind to earn a hard-fought 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory in Indian Wells.
Battling gusty winds within the California desert, Djokovic confirmed indicators of rustiness at occasions in his first match since he misplaced to Carlos Alcaraz within the Australian Open closing at the beginning of February. The 38-year-old Serbian struggled to discover rhythm from the baseline within the first set, but discovered higher consistency and efficiency in his groundstrokes within the latter levels to power his well beyond Majchrzak, who has long admired the 101-time tour-level titlist.
“It [has] been very challenging lately for me in Indian Wells,” Djokovic stated in his on-court interview. “It has been exhausting for me to discover my A-game, notably at first of the match up to now seven or eight years. I’m glad to overcome a problem.
“Kamil is a very solid player. He doesn’t have tremendous power but he has every shot in the book and he was not afraid to come in and take the ball early. He played a great first set. I reset and started to feel better and the crowd was amazing.”
Djokovic, a joint-record five-time Indian Wells champion alongside Roger Federer, has had a irritating current historical past on the occasion, failing to attain the fourth spherical since 2017. His final title on the hard-court match got here in 2016, and within the years since, he’s fallen to Taro Daniel, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Luca Nardi, and Botic van de Zandschulp.
Saturday, although, Djokovic ensured he wouldn’t add one other early exit to that record. At 38, the Serbian is the second-oldest man to attain the third spherical at Indian Wells, trailing solely Ivo Karlovic, who superior to that stage aged 40 in 2019.
“I find that the wind here is one of the toughest on Tour,” Djokovic added when talking in regards to the circumstances. “With the gusts coming in and out, changing direction, it is so, so difficult. Particularly from one end of the court and it puts extra tension.”
In an entertaining, aggressive conflict, Majchrzak had a slice of luck to earn a break within the opening sport of the primary set, with a internet twine handing him the benefit. He went on to declare the opener earlier than Djokovic upped his depth and benefited from a drop within the Pole’s degree to power a 3rd set.
Djokovic was then left flat on his again within the opening sport of the decider following a 40-shot rally at 30/30. He dropped the sport, but that solely appeared to ignite his resolve. With renewed aggression, Djokovic broke Majchrzak’s resistance and closed out victory after two hours and 12 minutes.
Djokovic is now 7-1 on the season, in accordance to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and can subsequent meet Aleksandar Kovacevic.
