INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Novak Djokovic came to California with big plans and high hopes. He would play the so-called Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and Miami for the first time in seven years, hopefully to have some success after a solid few weeks of practice.

Novak Djokovic's start to the season has been very different from expectations. It is true that the Serbian legend reached the semifinals at the 2025 Australian Open – after achieving a titanic feat against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals – but he had a new injury that forced him to retire during his match against Alexander Zverev.