Djokovic’s victory over Kovacevic secured his spot in the fourth round of the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, his first time reaching this stage since 2017. This marked the second consecutive three-set match for Djokovic this week, following his hard-fought opening round win against Kamil Majchrzak.

Djokovic saves a ball during his match against Kovacevic on Stadium 1 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, My on 9/3. Photo: Reuters

The Serbian player's next opponent in singles will be defending champion Jack Draper, who defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 7-5.

Kovacevic, who first met his idol Djokovic at Flushing Meadows in 2005, posed a significant challenge to the 24-time Grand Slam champion throughout their match on 9/3. The American player lost the first set 4-6 but won his final three service games without dropping a point. He then leveled the match with an inspired performance in the second set, capitalizing on Djokovic's mid-match dip.

In the decisive set, Djokovic regained his composure and found his rhythm, despite clutching his ankle after a lengthy rally in the third game. Djokovic has won 34 of his last 35 matches after taking the first set; his only defeat during this period was against world number 1 player Carlos Alcaraz in the Australia Open final late January 2026. Alcaraz also advanced to the men's singles fourth round, defeating Arthur Rinderknech 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.

With this win, Djokovic became the second oldest player to reach the fourth round of a Masters 1000 event since the system's inception in 1990, trailing only Ivo Karlovic, who achieved this feat at Indian Wells in 2019 at 40 years old.

Hours after his singles victory, Djokovic partnered with Stefanos Tsitsipas to win their men's doubles first round match. They unexpectedly defeated the defending champions Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic with a score of 6-3, 6-2.

Djokovic and Tsitsipas during their men's doubles first round match on Stadium 3 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, My on 9/3. Photo: Reuters

Primarily known for their singles rivalry, Djokovic and Tsitsipas entered the doubles competition as an unusual pairing, despite having faced each other 14 times on the ATP Tour. However, the wild card duo quickly found their synergy to secure a convincing win in just 53 minutes against third seeds Arevalo and Pavic. Arevalo and Pavic had won the 2025 title by defeating four pairs primarily composed of singles players.

Playing together for the first time, Djokovic and Tsitsipas controlled the match with excellent serving in front of a large crowd on Stadium 3. They won 89% of their first serve points and successfully saved all four break points they faced. In the second round, they will face two other singles players, Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot.

Vy Anh