Djokovic weathers Kovacevic storm in Indian Wells
Serb Novak Djokovic, the No 3 seed, defeated American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to advance to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Monday evening.
Novak Djokovic, Indian Wells 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Serb Novak Djokovic, the No 3 seed, defeated American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to advance to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Monday evening.
The world No 3 required over two hours to overcome the spirited challenge from the home favorite on Stadium 1. He displayed clinical efficiency in the opening set before losing his rhythm entirely during a lopsided second frame.
Because he managed to recalibrate his baseline game in the decider, the veteran secured his 420th career match win at the Masters 1000 level to set a new all-time record.
Djokovic now moves into the last 16 to face the winner of the match between Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, the No 19 seed, and Englishman Jack Draper, the No 14 seed.
Kovacevic’s “tremendous serving display”
“I don’t recall facing someone of his height who served this well,” Djokovic said in his post-match assessment. The 16 aces struck by the American qualifier served as the primary statistical driver that kept the contest competitive until the final games.
“I wasn’t maybe feeling my rhythm on that return very well today, but he was just making my life very difficult, returning the serve”, Djokovic added. “He was just acing me all over, getting a lot of free points. That’s what I told him at the net. He had a tremendous serving display today. He’s on the right path.”
“Today was really anybody’s game until the last couple of points. That last game of the third where he missed some first serves, gave me looks on the second, and I used it. That’s pretty much it. It was very unpredictable who was going to win until the end.”
The last game
The match began with a display of tactical precision as the Serb broke through the Kovacevic defense in the middle of the first set. He protected his own serve with ease to claim the opener 6-4.
However, the momentum shifted abruptly when the American began dictating rallies with a heavy forehand while the No 3 seed struggled with timing. Kovacevic raced through the second set 1-6, which forced the match into a high-stakes deciding set under the lights.
The Serb eventually stabilized his performance by increasing the height and depth of his groundstrokes to push the American behind the baseline. He secured a crucial service break at the last game of the match 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
