Djokovic ahead of Indian Wells: I didn’t play my best tennis in Australia

Novak Djokovic is raring to go ahead of Indian Wells, a tournament he has won five times already.

And he’s admitted he wasn’t in the best shape ahead of the Australian Open at the start of the year – a confession that will strike fear into the hearts of his opponents in the desert.

“I didn’t feel like I really had the proper time to rest and to do a proper preparation block like maybe I would normally do,” he said, according to the ATP website, reflecting on his 2023 closing run which included winning the Nitto ATP Finals and playing in Serbia’s Davis Cup team.

“But it is what it is. I don’t think I played my best tennis in Australia, whereas Jannik [Sinner] did, and he was just far better player than me that day [in the semi-finals]. And after that, he he made an incredible comeback in the final and won his first title. So it was absolutely deserved.”

The Serbian has not played in Indian Wells since 2019 and will face Aleksandar Vukic in his first match since losing to Sinner in the semi-finals in Melbourne.

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