Novak Djokovic survives huge Indian Wells scare as star overcomes physical concerns

Oli Dickson Jefford 09 Mar 2026 8:30 PM

Novak Djokovic during his service motion.

Novak Djokovic fought his way through to the fourth round of Indian Wells on Monday, but the manner of his win wasn’t entirely convincing.

In an intriguing contest inside Stadium 1, world No 3 and five-time Indian Wells champion Djokovic overcame a significant scare against home favourite Kovacevic, righting the ship in the closing stages to claim a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 triumph.

Djokovic had been forced to battle back from a set down to beat Kamil Majchrzak 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in his opening match on Saturday, though he started more impressively against Kovacevic in this third-round contest.

However, the world No 3’s level then dropped dramatically during the second set, and world No 72 Kovacevic more than took advantage — breaking twice on his way to forcing a decider.

Neither Djokovic nor Kovacevic gave too much away throughout large stages of the third set, though the Serbian broke in the decisive tenth game to seal victory.

Asked during his post-match interview how he had approached his latest test, the 38-year-old admitted the match was demanding both mentally and physically.

“I’m not really enjoying myself at all times, to be honest,” conceded Djokovic.

“You know, you are trying, obviously, to thrive in these kind of conditions, where you’re facing an opponent that is playing almost lights-out tennis.

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“You get tight, you’re maybe not swinging through the ball as well as you want to, but ‘winning ugly’, right? That’s what counts in the end to get the W and I’m glad to be able to overcome the challenge.”

Djokovic is now through to the fourth round of Indian Wells for the first time since 2017, and will now look to reach the quarter-final for the first time since 2016.

The Masters 1000 event was cancelled in 2020, and Djokovic skipped the event from 2021-23, though the prestigious tournament has evidently not been his happiest hunting ground ever since winning his fifth title a decade ago.

Djokovic has not been at his best across his opening matches against Majchrzak and Kovacevic, and there were signs that he was struggling physically during this latest match.

The 38-year-old was seen stretching out his leg during the second set, and also appeared to be breathing heavily after more physically demanding rallies.

The Serbian will have the advantage of a full day of rest ahead of next match, and the best-of-three format will also arguably benefit his physical recovery.

Djokovic is now set to return to action on Wednesday, when he will take on reigning Indian Wells champion Jack Draper in the fourth round.

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