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How Far Can Djokovic Go in Indian Wells?

By Keshav Gopalan

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 04: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a backhand during the mens singles fourth round match against Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain on day eight of the 2017 French Open at Roland Garros on June 4, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 04: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a backhand during the mens singles fourth round match against Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain on day eight of the 2017 French Open at Roland Garros on June 4, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Touted for a comeback in Madrid, Djokovic surprised everyone by confirming his participation in the Indian Wells Masters. Barely a month out of a minor surgery and close to a month and a half after his fourth-round upset in the Australian Open, Djokovic faces Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in the second round today and is expected to face Kei Nishikori in the third round and Juan Martin Del Potro in the fourth if he makes it through his matches. So the question is, how far will he go? It depends on a lot of factors, such as:

Match Readiness

Is Djokovic match ready? He’s been out of action for a month and a half, had surgery and started rehabbing only two weeks ago and practising a week ago. The timing of his comeback is odd and perhaps a little too early, and with no warm-up tournament to boot, it’ll be difficult for Djokovic to get past his difficult third and fourth round opponents.

His Elbow and Mentality

With rumours that his injury is not restricted to his elbow, it remains to be seen whether Djokovic has healed well enough to grind it out on a regular schedule in the tour. While it will be a big ask to see him get past the quarterfinals, it wouldn’t be very surprising if he does, as he’s proven in the past that he’s a threat when the mental side of things are working well for him. However, with his fitness being a question mark and his mentality only slightly better when he played down under, one might question if everything will work well for him.

Has His Serve and Forehand Improved?

Djokovic hits a forehand in the 2018 Australian Open
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 22: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand in his fourth-round match against Hyeon Chung of South Korea on day eight of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 22, 2018, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) /

When Nole came back in Australia, people noticed the difference in his service motion and forehand swing. His service motion became more “compact” and in a way, more efficient and less strenuous to his elbow. His forehand swing had a change too, with a noticeably shorter (and angled) front swing which curled towards his torso. This has led to lesser depth in his shots, especially the crosscourt forehand, with the slight added advantage in topspin. And while his practice sessions indicate that his forehand has seen improvement, they are after all practice sessions.

Conclusion

Expect either of the extremes, with a possible final appearance in cards. After all, his head to head with his expected opponents till the semi-finals is solid. Worst case scenario, Nole loses in the third round. There are worse ways to go.

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