Novak Djokovic has divulged what he feels he proved to himself and his rivals with his run at the 2026 Australian Open ahead of his return to action in Indian Wells.
The legendary Serbian has not competed since losing to world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the Australian Open championship match over a month ago.
Djokovic delivered a stellar display to defeat world No 2 Jannik Sinner in a five-set semi-final in Melbourne as he became the oldest finalist in tournament history at the age of 38.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner had lost his five previous matches against Sinner, including semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2025, while he also fell to Alcaraz in the last four at last year’s US Open.
In his pre-tournament press conference in Indian Wells, Djokovic was asked if he is still playing in order to prove himself.
“There are objectives and goals that are always there. You want to win, so you want to get another title and get another Slam, hopefully,” said Djokovic.
“I was close in Australia. Obviously that was an amazing start of the year for me, considering that I haven’t been able to reach the finals since the Wimbledon 2024, and lost to either Sinner or Alcaraz [at] all of the Slams last year.
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“So it was just incredible feeling to be able to beat Sinner in five sets in one of the epic matches that I played in recent times in Australia, and then have another great match with Carlos, who was just too good in the end.
“But, you know, for me, that has been a phenomenal result. So, I have proven to myself primarily and to others that I can still compete at the highest level and beat these guys.
“So my logic is why not keep going as long as I have that fire and flair and quality and also motivation to do that.”
The world No 3 went on to address his approach to scheduling and asserted that he will “keep on going as long as I feel like it.”
“Schedule is unclear, as it was in the last kind of couple years,” he continued.
“You know, it kind of revolves mostly around Slams, but I kind of pick and choose where I want to play, where I feel like it’s not just from a tennis standpoint but also emotionally, you know, brand-wise, or whatever it is, you know, that inspires me to come.
“And I have my reasons, you know, Indian Wells, as I mentioned, has been always a location that I was really happy to come back to in a tournament that I really love playing.
“I haven’t had great results and performances in the last 10 years, but in the first 10 years of my career, this was one of the best tournaments.
“Yeah, that’s all. I mean, I really enjoy the thrill of competition. I enjoy still getting out there in front of the fans and really being competitive.
“Still No 3 of the world, so I don’t think it’s too bad, you know, in terms of the ranking and results and performances. So still competitive. I still have that edge, and I’ll keep on going as long as I feel like it.”
Djokovic could make history with Indian Wells triumph
Djokovic shares the record of five Indian Wells men’s titles with his former rival Roger Federer, and he is seeking his first crown in the Californian desert since 2016.
The No 3 seed will begin his bid to become the outright Indian Wells title leader against either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Kamil Majchrzak.
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