Novak Djokovic drops set but fights for first Indian Wells win on ATP Tour
match report
Djokovic loses set but still strives for first win in Indian Wells
The Serbian wins Indian Wells five times
March 8, 2026
ATP Tour
Novak Djokovic plays in Indian Wells on Saturday.
Sam Jacott
Novak Djokovic overcame a first-round scare against Kamil Makhzak at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, coming from behind to claim a hard-fought 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory in Indian Wells.
Battling strong winds in the California desert, Djokovic showed signs of rust at times in his first match since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final in early February. The 38-year-old Serb struggled to find a rhythm from the baseline in the first set, but found his ground balls more consistent and effective in the later stages, forcing him past Majczak. Who has admired for a long time 101 Tour level champions.
Djokovic, who is tied with Roger Federer as a five-time Indian Wells champion, has had a frustrating recent experience at the event, failing to reach the fourth round since 2017. His last title at a hard court championship came in 2016, and in the years since he has lost to Taro Daniel, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Luca Nardi and Botik van der Zandschulp.
On Saturday, though, Djokovic made sure he wouldn’t add another early exit to his list. The Serbian, 38, is the second-oldest man to advance to the third round at Indian Wells, behind Ivo Karlovic, who reached the third round in 2019 at the age of 40.
In this entertaining and competitive match, Majhzak was lucky enough to get a break advantage in the first game of the first set thanks to the net. He then won the first set before Djokovic increased his intensity and benefited from the Pole’s drop in quality to force the match into a third set.
Djokovic was then knocked down in the first set of the decider at 40 shots, 30/30. He gave up on the game, but that only seemed to ignite his determination. Djokovic attacked again, breaking Makhzak’s resistance and winning after 2 hours and 12 minutes.
According to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index, Djokovic currently has a record of 7-1 this season and will next face Alexander Kovacevic.
