Serb will resume his quest for a record-setting sixth trophy at the ATP-WTA California desert classic
\nINDIAN WELLS
\nWorld number one Novak Djokovic said his excitement level is high as he returns to the ATP Indian Wells Masters for the first time in five years.
\nThe Serb will resume his quest for a record-setting sixth trophy at the ATP-WTA California desert classic, which he last won in 2016 and last played in 2019.
\n\u201cI\u2019m very excited to come back,\u201d the 24-time Grand Slam champion said on Thursday prior to his upcoming second-round opener against Australian Aleksandar Vukic.
\n\u201cTime flies incredibly fast\u2013let\u2019s see if I can have a good tournament.\u201d
\nAfter taking a six-week pause since he lost an Australian Open semi-final against eventual champion Jannik Sinner, the 36-year-old Djokovic made sure to arrive in California well over a week before the start of play here.
\nIn addition to practicing at the courts at the University of California at Los Angeles he was spotted taking in an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets \u2014 who are led by Serbian star Nikola Jokic.
\n\u201cI\u2019m ready to get into competition. I\u2019ve been training well and I arrived in LA quite early,\u201d Djokovic said.
\nThe Serb said he and his team are fine-tuning their strategy to emphasize the four Grand Slams and other big events on the near-nonstop ATP calendar.
\n\u201cWe want to have clarity on goals and tournaments,\u201d Djokovic said. \u201cI want to focus on the slams and the other big events.
\n\u201cI want to get the most out of myself in all events where I participate.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not playing full seasons (any more) and I will be more selective as to where I play. I\u2019ll listen to my body and create a schedule around the big events.
\n\u201cI want to get the most out of myself in the later stages of my career.\u201d
\nDjokovic won the Indian Wells title in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 and he couldn\u2019t play the next three years because of US travel restrictions on those not vaccinated for Covid.
\nHis five titles are tied for the most with Roger Federer and he admitted he misses his retired Swiss rival. He\u2019s also pining for matches against 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
\nThe 37-year-old Spaniard, who missed most of last year, returned at Brisbane in January but was forced out of the Australian Open by another injury and on Wednesday withdrew from his planned comeback at Indian Wells due to lack of preparation and fitness.
\n\u201cThose two guys and Andy Murray are an inseparable part of my development as a player,\u201d Djokovic said. \u201cIt\u2019s down to the rivalries I had with those guys.
\n\u201cBut the moment (of retirement) will come for all of us. An era comes to an end but there are so many wonderful moments and milestones we can celebrate.
\n\u201cThe rivalries between us are one of the greatest the sport has ever seen.
\n\u201cLet\u2019s see how much farther I can push the needle.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Serb will resume his quest for a record-setting sixth trophy at the ATP-WTA California desert classic INDIAN WELLS World number one Novak Djokovic said his excitement level is high as he returns to the ATP Indian Wells Masters for the first time in five years. The Serb will resume his quest for a record-setting sixth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":392459,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-392433","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n