Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells
Novak Djokovic arrived in Indian Wells earlier this month hoping to boost his ATP Ranking ahead of the second Grand Slam of 2025 at the French Open in May, but that ambition was terminated in double quick time.
Djokovic lost against Dutch lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp 2-6, 6-3, 1-6 in an error-strewn display, with his post-match comments suggesting he is starting to lose faith that he can revive his glory days as he approaches his 38th birthday.
“Yeah, hard to appreciate anything now, really,” said Djokovic. “I’m disappointed that I lost, but I guess, you know, if you put things in that larger perspective, of course I’ve had an incredible career. Being consistent for so many years, obviously you have high expectations of yourself.
“Things are different obviously for me the last couple of years. I’ve been struggling to play on the desired level. Every now and then, I have a couple of good tournaments, but, you know, mostly it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me.
“So it is what it is. You know, I guess nothing can prepare you for that moment, in a sense. You have to experience it and try to deal with it in the best possible way.”
While a chase for ranking points is no longer a priority for Djokovic, the Serbian needs to ensure he does not slide too far down the ATP list as it will impact one of his last big ambitions in tennis.
Djokovic has made it clear that he wants to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title before he hangs up his rackets for the last time, but that mission will be made tougher if he drops out of the top eight of the ATP Rankings.
With Djokovic playing a limited tournament schedule in what may be the final year of his career, he is missing out on chances to claim ranking points and that affected his push for an 11th Australian Open title in January.
Djokovic was the No 7 seed in Melbourne and as a result, he was forced to take on French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
While he came through an epic match against Alcaraz that would have befitted the final in Melbourne, but the physical toll it took on him was evident as he was forced to pull out of his semi-final against Alexander Zverev due to injury.
If he was in the top four of the ATP Rankings for the French Open, there is a good chance he would avoid a clash against Jannik Sinner or Alcaraz until the semi-final and that would boost his hopes.
That ambition has been boosted in recent days, even though Djokovic has long since left Indian Wells.
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Defeats for Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tommy in the early rounds of the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season have ensured Djokovic’s nearest rivals in the rankings will not overtake him this week.
Then on Wednesday, Alex de Minaur was the latest top ten player to lose in Indian Wells, as the Aussie was beaten in straight sets by Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.
Those results mean Djokovic is set to move up from his current position of No 7 in the rankings to No 5 at the end of the Indian Wells event.
Daniil Medvedev could move ahead of Djokovic if he wins in Indian Wells, but that may be a long shot with Carlos Alcaraz showing some impressive form in a tournament he has won for the last two years.
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