Novak Djokovic ends 9-year wait at Indian Wells with latest three-set victory | ATP Tour
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Djokovic ends 9-year wait for Indian Wells with latest three-set win
Third seed beats Kovacevic to meet defending champion Draper
March 9, 2026
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic reaches the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open for the first time since 2017.
Jerome Coombe
Novak Djokovic may have struggled a bit recently at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, but the five-time champion took another step forward on Monday with a gritty win.
The former PIF ATP No. 1 defeated American Alexander Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time since 2017. It was the second straight match this week that Djokovic required three sets, after a tough opening match against Kamil Makhzak early on.
Tuff W! 😤@DjokerNole Defeated strong enemy Kovacevic and advanced to the fourth round for the first time since 2017. @BNPPARIBASOPEN | #tennisparadise pic.twitter.com/Hj8fpoLAla
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 9, 2026
“Alex’s performance was great. We know each other. We speak the same language. His whole family is Serbian,” Djokovic said. “It’s good to see him playing well. He’s had a great match so far. I knew at the beginning of the match that if he served well and picked his spots, it would be difficult to beat him. And actually, that’s what happened.”
Although Djokovic is a five-time Indian Wells champion – tied with Roger Federer for the most wins in the tournament’s history – the 38-year-old admits he has struggled in recent seasons to rediscover his best in the California desert. He suffered a shock first-round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp last year and was forced to dig deep in Saturday’s win over Majchrzak while dealing with discomfort.
However, Djokovic continued to be severely tested during his 17th appearance in the tournament. The Serbian will next face defending champion Jack Draper, who beat Francesco Cerundolo 6-1, 7-5.
“To be honest, I don’t enjoy it all the time,” Djokovic said when asked about the demands of playing against Kovacevic. “In conditions like these, you try to improve, against opponents who are playing lights-out tennis… but winning is ugly, right? That’s what matters. I’m happy to overcome today’s challenge.”
Kovacevic first met his idol Djokovic at Flushing Meadows in 2005 and pushed the 24-time Grand Slam champion throughout the tournament. The American finished the first set strongly, scoring 13 consecutive points, and evened the score in the second set thanks to Djokovic’s poor performance in the middle of the game.
In the deciding set, Djokovic steadied himself and began to find his range in the desert conditions, despite clutching his ankle after a one-point extension in the third set. After winning the first set, Djokovic has won 34 of his past 35 matches, with his only loss coming against world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final in January, according to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index.
With this win, Djokovic became the second-oldest player to reach the fourth round of an ATP Masters 1000 event since the series began in 1990, behind only Ivo Karlovic, who was 40 in Indian Wells in 2019.
