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Novak Djokovic recently expressed his delight at returning to the Indian Wells Open after five years as he gears up to surpass Roger Federer's record at the tournament.
The World No. 1 will be participating in his 15th Indian Wells Open since turning pro in 2003. He secured the title in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Roger Federer retired in 2022. Djokovic and Federer share the record for the most titles at the BNP Paribas Open — five. Rafael Nadal, having won it three times, is the only active player nearing their record.
Djokovic shared a few pictures and videos on his Instagram feed on Tuesday (March 5). One picture showed him in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden's stands. In two other images, he was seen stretching in the parking lot.
The 36-year-old also posted a couple of videos, with one showing him attempting keepy-uppies with his team in the gym, and the other showing him practicing on the court.
He captioned that he eagerly awaits the Indian Wells Open and reminisced about his last participation in 2019 like it was yesterday.
“Last time I played on this beautiful court it was 2019. Feels like it was yesterday. Amazing to be back at #TennisParadise can't wait for tournament to start! Let's go,” he wrote.
In the 2019 edition of the Indian Wells, Djokovic defeated Bjorn Fratangelo in the second round but lost to Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third.
In 2020, the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, and in the subsequent years, the United States didn't allow foreigners who weren't vaccinated against COVID-19 into the country.
The Indian Wells Open is Novak Djokovic's second tournament in 2024, having first competed at the Australian Open, where he reached the semifinals. The 36-year-old also represented Serbia at the 2024 United Cup, where they reached the quarterfinals.
Novak Djokovic attends LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets game
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was present with his son Stefan and wife Jelena at the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets game on Sunday (March 3) at Crypto.com Arena.
After the match, the Serb shared a couple of pictures on his X (formerly Twitter) account. The pictures featured him and his compatriots Nikola Jokic and Vlade Divac interacting. He was also seen with two-time NBA champion Sasha Vujacic.
"Great to see @NBA superstars and friends last night @Lakers @nuggets," he captioned.
