Novak Djokovic’s quest for a sixth Indian Wells ATP Masters title ended abruptly on Saturday as he lost his opening match. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was defeated by Dutch lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
Djokovic, who committed 37 unforced errors during the match, had added Andy Murray as his coach. This loss came earlier than his third-round exit to lucky loser Luca Nardi the previous year.
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“You know, things are different obviously for me the last couple of years. I’ve been struggling to play on the desired level. Every now and then, I have couple good tournaments, but, you know, mostly it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me. So it is what it is. I guess nothing can prepare you for that moment, in a sense. You have to experience it and try to deal with it in the best possible way.”
The Serbian player’s recent performances have been affected by setbacks. He withdrew from the Australian Open semi-final due to a hamstring injury and lost his first match in Doha last month.
When questioned about potential physical issues during Saturday’s match, Djokovic avoided specifics. “I mean, it’s always something happening, but I don’t want to talk about it. No excuses for a poor performance … just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.”
Van de Zandschulp’s victory adds to his impressive record, which includes wins over Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open and Rafael Nadal in what became the Spanish champion’s final Davis Cup match.
The match saw Djokovic struggle initially with 14 unforced errors in the first set. He improved in the second, securing an early break for a 3-0 lead.
Despite van de Zandschulp’s resistance, Djokovic managed to win the second set. However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the final set.
“The first three games, four games of the third set were quite close. Had my chances. Was just some awful mistakes. When I reflect on this match, obviously I’ll see a little bit more what I could have done more. He played, I think, some really good points to break my serve. But just putting myself in that position, I shouldn’t allow myself to do that.”
Van de Zandschulp dominated the decisive third set, breaking Djokovic‘s serve at 3-1 and winning the final five games consecutively.
Regarding his future plans, Djokovic remained uncertain about his participation in the upcoming Miami Open. “I still haven’t talked with Andy and the team, so going to do that and make a plan.”
