Five-time champion Novak Djokovic was stunned in his opening match at the Indian Wells ATP Masters on Saturday, suffering a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 loss to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp. Despite his 24 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic’s performance was marred by 37 unforced errors, as he admitted, “No excuses for a poor performance.”
“It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” Djokovic reflected. “But congratulations to my opponent—just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.”
Van de Zandschulp added Djokovic to his list of high-profile scalps, which includes a shock win over Carlos Alcaraz at last year’s US Open and Rafael Nadal in the Davis Cup—his last match before retiring.
“I think I kept my cool during the whole match,” said van de Zandschulp. “If I lose my cool, especially against the big players, it’s going to be a tough day.”
The match had its tense moments, especially in the second set, when Djokovic made a brief comeback. After a slow start filled with 14 unforced errors, Djokovic cleaned up his game, breaking van de Zandschulp for a 3-0 lead.
However, after a brief setback in the second set, Djokovic’s errors crept back into his game, and van de Zandschulp took control with a crucial break early in the third set, ultimately winning the last five games.
“The first three or four games of the third set were quite close,” Djokovic said. “Had my chances, but just some awful mistakes.”
Italian Matteo Arnaldi also caused an upset, defeating seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-5. Djokovic and Rublev joined the list of second-round casualties alongside top seed Alexander Zverev and fourth seed Casper Ruud.
Alcaraz marches on
Meanwhile, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, the highest seed remaining, breezed through his first match, defeating France’s Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-2. The Spaniard, aiming for a third consecutive Indian Wells title, admitted to feeling some early nerves but quickly settled into his rhythm, closing out the match in 67 minutes.
“I was nervous at the beginning of the match,” Alcaraz shared with the crowd. “The first match is never easy, so I was trying to stay focused on my game. I just tried to be relaxed… I’m ready for the next round and excited.”
In the women’s draw, world number one Aryna Sabalenka advanced with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over rising US star McCartney Kessler. Madison Keys, who defeated Sabalenka to win her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, returned to form with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Anastasia Potapova.
Americans Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff also moved into the next round. Fritz, the 2022 men’s champion, defeated Matteo Gigante 7-5, 6-3, while Gauff survived a tense battle, overcoming 21 double faults to beat Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4).
With Djokovic’s exit, all eyes will now be on Alcaraz as he aims for his third consecutive title at the prestigious event.
