Novak Djokovic puts his injury struggles behind him as he aims to “go deep” in Indian Wells and Miami Open

Novak Djokovic is set to open his account in Indian Wells against Dutch star Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.

Novak Djokovic puts his injury struggles behind him as he aims to “go deep” in Indian Wells and Miami Open

Novak Djokovic (Image via X/ The Tennis Letter)

Novak Djokovic has not been at his best since he returned from a muscular injury in February. The former World No.1 has lost his two matches, including the Australian Open semifinals, where he was forced to retire. Ahead of the Indian Wells, he has put all his struggles behind him and is now eager to win matches again.

In Djokovic’s first match after his recovery from injury, he lost to Matteo Berrettini in straight sets at the Qatar Open. After the loss, the Serbian drew concerns after a viral video showed him limping into an airport in Doha. He has debunked the rumors of any injury in his press conference and has been seen in Indian Wells alongside his coach Andy Murray.

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Djokovic, who is a five-time champion in Indian Wells, most recently won the title in 2016. He is in search of his 100th tour-level title, which will see him join the likes of Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors, who have passed the 100 title threshold. The 37-year-old is returning to America since his 2024 third-round US Open exit.

However, Djokovic is more motivated than ever to win something in the Sunshine Double. In fact, he revealed during his press conference that he’s aiming to have a deep run in Indian Wells and Miami Open.

I’ll play the Sunshine Double first time after six years. I haven’t done really well in Indian Wells and Miami ever since 2016 or ’17, and I struggled to find my best game here. I’m not going to get younger, I know that. But I definitely look to go deep in the tournament. I’ve done, I think, the right things in preparation.

Novak Djokovic said via Indian Wells Press

Djokovic is set to open his Indian Wells account against Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round. The World No.7 holds a slim 1-0 lead in their head-to-head record and their only meeting was at the Astana Open in 2022.

Novak Djokovic says his partnership with Andy Murray is “going through a process”

Novak Djokovic began his partnership with Andy Murray at the Australian Open. The collaboration yielded an instant success as Djokovic game improved with time. In fact, he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam event. Both are now set to reunite in Indian Wells.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray (Via X)

During the aforementioned interview, Djokovic revealed that as he looks to continue with Murray until the clay season, he also believes their partnership is a process.

I still feel like we’re going through the process of getting to know each other on the court in a different way than we’ve known each other for 25 years.

Novak Djokovic said

Djokovic has yet to win anything since claiming the Olympic gold medal in Paris last year. The Serbian has recently begun to struggle with motivation to win more titles and that’s the work Murray has come to do, to give him a determination to win titles again.