113 times! Djokovic surpasses Nadal with another record

The most notable event on the tour this week is undoubtedly the Indian Wells tournament. Being a combined men's and women's event at the 1000 level, Indian Wells draws numerous elite players annually. At present, the singles 16-player rosters are nearly complete, and our attention today is on Serbian legend Novak Djokovic's performance.

As the men's singles No. 3 seed in this tournament, Djokovic enjoyed a first-round bye. His second-round opponent was Mhezak. This match marked Djokovic's first appearance since finishing as runner-up in this year's Australian Open. Ultimately, after trailing 4-6 in the first set, Djokovic reversed the match with scores of 6-1 and 6-2.

The entire match lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes. In the first game of the third set, Djokovic and Mhezak played a point that lasted 43 strokes, both demonstrating remarkable resilience during the match.

After successfully securing his opening victory at this year's Indian Wells, Djokovic's third-round opponent was American player Kovacevic. Djokovic also battled through three sets in this match, ultimately winning 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to advance, securing his second consecutive victory over Kovacevic.

Although Djokovic has won Indian Wells five times previously, this third-round victory marks his first entry into the men's singles 16-player stage at Indian Wells since the 2017 season, a full six years later.

Djokovic first won the men's singles title at Indian Wells in 2008, followed by victories in 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Last year, Djokovic was halted in the second round at Indian Wells. Prior to this year, his overall record here was 51 wins and 11 losses.

After smoothly advancing to the men's singles 16-player stage at this year's Indian Wells, Djokovic's quarterfinal opponent is British player Draper, who had been absent from the tour for nearly half a year due to injury issues. Notably, he is also this year's men's singles defending champion, having reached the final last year and defeated Rune to win the title.

For Djokovic, reaching the men's singles 16-player stage at Indian Wells this time has spawned some new records, such as his 113th career entry into a Masters 16-player stage, officially surpassing Nadal to hold the historical top spot alone. Additionally, other Masters records held by Djokovic include:

Most Masters match wins — 420 victories

Most Masters semifinals — 80 matches

Most Masters finals — 60 matches

Most Masters titles — 40 championships

Of course, Djokovic's last Masters title was back in the 2023 season. Do you think he can still win a title at this level of tournament?（Source: Tennis Home Author: Barbie）