Novak Djokovic secured a hard-fought victory at Indian Wells on Saturday, overcoming a shaky start to defeat Kamil Majchrzak in three sets.
The Serbian third seed found himself a double break down and lost the opening set 6-4, raising concerns of another early exit at a tournament where he has struggled in recent years.
However, the 38-year-old demonstrated his trademark resilience, storming back to claim the second and third sets 6-1 and 6-2.
The match marked Djokovic’s return to competitive action following his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final five weeks ago.
Novak Djokovic survived an Indian Wells scare this weekend
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Following his comeback triumph, Djokovic addressed questions about his long-term future in the sport.
The world number three confirmed his ambition to compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when he will be 41 years of age.
“Yeah, it would be nice. That’s one of the long-term goals, let’s call it, a way to reach the Olympics. That would be nice. I mentioned it a couple of times in the last year or so,” Djokovic said.
He acknowledged the difficulty of such an undertaking at his stage of career.
“You know, it’s still a long way. I think at my age and my stage of my career, every year seems like, you know, longer period than for anyone else who is younger.
Novak Djokovic is heavily motivated to take part in the 2028 Olympics
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“But I’ll try to make it, definitely one of the motivations, so try to be there.”
Djokovic was candid about his ongoing difficulties at the Californian desert venue.
“Well, it was very challenging, as it is lately for me in Indian Wells, to be honest. It’s kind of hard to find my A-game, particularly at the beginning of the tournament in the last seven, eight years of coming here, so just glad to overcome a challenge,” he explained courtside.
The Serbian veteran highlighted the testing weather conditions as a significant factor.
“I find that the wind here is one of the toughest on the tour, just on a day like this, with the gusts of wind coming in and out, changing directions, it’s so, so difficult.”
Djokovic’s career achievements place him among the greatest players in tennis history.
Novak Djokovic already is regarded as possibly the best tennis player of all time
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The Serbian has accumulated 24 Grand Slam titles, more than any other male player, whilst also holding the record for the most weeks ranked as world number one.
His Olympic gold medal, secured in Paris two years ago, completed a remarkable collection of honours that includes countless ATP Tour victories.
The five-time Indian Wells champion last lifted the trophy at this event in 2016, and has failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals since that triumph.
Djokovic will face American Aleksandar Kovacevic in the third round as he pursues a sixth title.
