Novak Djokovic emerges victorious upon his comeback to Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic triumphantly came back to the desert, defeating Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Saturday in his initial appearance at the BNP Paribas Open after a five-year absence.

Novak Djokovic, the record-breaking winner of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, has now achieved the remarkable feat of winning 400 matches in ATP Masters 1000 series events, joining the esteemed company of Rafael Nadal. Djokovic, currently holding the top rank, has an impressive record at Indian Wells, having clinched the championship title five times, which is the same as Roger Federer's record. However, Djokovic had not participated in the event since 2019.

Coco Gauff managed to secure a victory, narrowly avoiding an early elimination by coming back just in time to defeat Clara Burel 2-6, 6-3, 7-6.

The female winner of the U.S. Open found herself behind 4-0 and later 5-2 in the final set of her first match in the competition, placing her on the brink of being the second high-ranking American player to be defeated by Burel this year. Burel, the 47th-ranked player from France, triumphed over the 5th-ranked Jessica Pegula in the second round of the Australian Open.

Gauff, who is seeded third, progressed to the next round where she will compete against Lucia Bronzetti. The Italian player, on the other hand, defeated Anhelina Kalinina, who was seeded 32nd, with a score of 6-3, 6-4.

However, Pegula faced another early exit on Saturday as she was defeated in the second round once again. Anna Blinkova from Russia emerged victorious with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 against Pegula.

Naomi Osaka eliminated another seeded player, defeating Russia's No. 14 Liudmila Samsonova with a score of 7-5, 6-3. The accomplished four-time Grand Slam champion, who made a comeback this year after becoming a mother, emerged victorious in the 2018 BNP Paribas tournament. Her next challenge awaits against No. 24 Elise Mertens.

Victoria Azarenka, the two-time winner of the tournament, suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of American Caroline Dolehide, losing 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu, the reigning champion of the 2021 U.S. Open women's singles, advanced to the third round after her opponent, Dayana Yastremska, retired when Raducanu was leading 4-0.

Novak Djokovic managed to prevent an upset by distancing himself from the 69th-ranked Vukic in the third set of his initial match following his defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals.

Last year, Djokovic emerged victorious in the Masters 1000 tournaments held in Cincinnati and Paris. However, due to his unvaccinated status as a foreigner, he was unable to participate in the initial two events of the year in Indian Wells and Miami, as travel to the United States was restricted at that time.

In 2008 and 2011, he emerged victorious in the desert, followed by three consecutive triumphs from 2014 to 2016. The 36-year-old Serbian athlete boasts an impressive record of 400-86 in ATP Masters 1000 events. On the other hand, Nadal, who withdrew from the competition right before it commenced, has accumulated 406 wins in the nine tournaments that fall below the prestigious Grand Slam level.

12th seed Taylor Fritz and 28th seed Cam Norrie, who have previously won titles at Indian Wells, progressed to the third round alongside 13th seed Grigor Dmitrov. Ugo Humbert, seeded 14th, and Adrian Mannarino, seeded 21st, also secured victories. Additionally, French player Arthur Fils defeated 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina with a score of 6-3, 6-4.