Djokovic advances to Indian Wells Masters Round 4 for the first time in 9 years, facing the defending champion.

The third seed Novak Djokovic once again demonstrated the resilience of the greatest tennis player in history by overcoming Aleksandar Kovacevic in a tense three-set match to secure his spot in Round 4 of the Indian Wells Masters 2026.

The victory with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 marks the former world number one's first appearance in this round at Indian Wells since 2017.

Despite having won the tournament five times in the California desert, Djokovic has faced considerable challenges at Indian Wells in recent years.

In his 17th career appearance at the event, the Serbian player once again had to battle through three sets to defeat his opponent, mirroring the hard-fought victory he achieved against Kamil Majchrzak in the previous round.

In the match against Kovacevic, Djokovic started confidently and won the first set 6-4 due to his superior control of the game.

However, the American player responded strongly in the second set. Kovacevic capitalized on Djokovic's dip in performance to apply continuous pressure, winning decisively 6-1 and leveling the match.

In the decisive third set, the champion's composure was once again evident. Djokovic quickly regained stability in his serve and shot placement, effectively utilizing key moments to secure a crucial break, ultimately closing out the match 6-4 after over two hours of play.

This victory also allowed Djokovic to achieve another notable milestone, becoming the second oldest player in history since 1990 to reach the fourth round of a Masters 1000 event. In the next round, he will face the defending champion Jack Draper (14) in a contest for a quarter-final berth.

In the third round, Draper delivered a convincing performance by defeating Argentine player Francisco Cerúndolo 6-1, 7-5. Additionally, this round witnessed some surprises as strong seeds like Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur were eliminated. Fritz lost to fellow American Alex Michelsen 4-6, 6-7, while De Minaur was defeated 4-6, 4-6 by British opponent Cameron Norrie.

On the other hand, many contenders for the title maintained steady form. Top players such as Jannik Sinner (seed 2), Alexander Zverev (4), and Daniil Medvedev (11) all secured victories to advance to the next round, promising exciting competitions in the crucial stages of this year's Indian Wells.