Novak Djokovic joined the likes of Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz in hitting out at the conditions of the Indian Wells court surfaces after crashing out of the tournament on Saturday. The Serbian star was beaten in three sets by Botic van de Zandschulp, the world No. 85, losing 2-6, 6-3, 1-6 to the Dutchman and generally looked some way off his usual level. Tournament officials took the decision to relay the court surfaces ahead of the event in California, and the 37-year-old appeared to blame his struggles on the high bounce of the ball.
“You know, I regret for the level of tennis, considering how I practice these days,” Djokovic said after the match. “To be honest, the difference between the center court and the other courts is immense. Ball is bouncing on the center courts higher than some of the highest clay courts, to be honest. I just struggled a lot with that, couldn’t find the rhythm.”
Djokovic committed 37 unforced errors throughout the encounter and hit only 16 winners to mark a disappointing performance. It was his third consecutive loss of the 2025 season after retiring against Zverev at the Australian Open and losing to Matteo Berrettini at the Qatar Open in Doha – a pattern he’s only experienced twice before in 2008 and 2018. And Djokovic worryingly suggested he is struggling to find the level of tennis he requires to blow his opponents away.
“You know, things are different obviously for me the last couple of years. I’ve been struggling to play on the desired level,” he added. “
“Every now and then, I have couple good tournaments, but mostly it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me. I guess nothing can prepare you for that moment, in a sense. You have to experience it and try to deal with it in the best possible way.”
Reflecting on where the match went awry, the world No. 7 added: “The first three games, four games of the third set were quite close. Had my chances. Was just some awful mistakes. I thought I was on most of these points in the beginning of the third.
“When I reflect on this match, obviously I’ll see a little bit more what I could have done more, but… he played some really good points to break my serve. But just putting myself in that position, I shouldn’t allow myself to do that.”
Djokovic is still looking to claim his elusive 25th Grand Slam, which would make him the most successful tennis player – male or female – in history. However, he hasn’t added to his 99 ATP titles since the end of the 2023 season when he triumphed over Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals.
As the last of the Big Three still to be actively playing following Roger Federer’s retirement in September 2022 and Rafael Nadal’s last tournament in November 2024, Djokovic may be reaching the point where his level finally starts to drop after years of age-defying performances.
But he can prove his doubters wrong – which may include himself – in his next tournament at the Miami Open where he is a six-time winner. Five of those six titles came during a period of dominance between 2011 and 2016, however, and he hasn’t reached the final in Florida since, although he hasn’t featured at the event since 2019 due to schedule problems and visa issues.
