Djokovic Takes Nine Years to Return to Indian Wells Fourth Round

JAKARTA - Former world number one Novak Djokovic was forced to work hard to secure a ticket to the fourth round of the 2026 Indian Wells. It was the first time he had returned to that stage in this tournament since the last time in 2017.

The Serbian tennis player qualified after successfully eliminating the United States' home representative, Aleksandar Kovacevic, with a score of 6-4, 1-6, and 6-4 on Monday, March 9, 2026 local time, or Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Indonesian time.

It was the second consecutive match this week that Djokovic had to go through in three sets after previously struggling against Kamil Majchrzak to start his campaign at the tournament with the most spectators outside the four Grand Slams.

"Aleks's performance was very good. We know each other. We speak the same language. His whole family is Serbian. It's nice to see him play well," Djokovic said.

Djokovic, who is playing his first tournament since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final in January 2026, faces a really tight match. Kovacevic was amazing and could record 16 aces throughout the match.

The lift was six times that of Djokovic. However, in the end Djokovic ensured victory after breaking Kovacevic's serve in the last game of the third set.

"He has played a great tournament so far. I knew before the match, if he served well and chose the right moment, it would be difficult to break his serve. That's what happened," said Djokovic.

Djokovic, who is currently 38 years old, has collected five Indian Wells titles, a number that matches Roger Federer's record. However, he has never reached the quarterfinals at the tournament since winning his last title in 2016.

In the last 16, Djokovic will face the winner of the match between defending champion Jack Draper and Argentine Francisco Cerundolo to compete for a place in the quarterfinals.