"I didn't think we were going to see Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells" - Andy Roddick admits he underestimated injured Serb's recovery speed

Andy Roddick recently expressed his surprise at Novak Djokovic's swift recovery from the injury that put an end to his 2025 Australian Open aspirations. Djokovic played at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open since recovering and is now set to challenge for his 100th ATP Tour-level title at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, in California's scenic Coachella Valley.

Speaking on the latest podcast episode of Served With Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion hailed the 24-time Major winner's displays at the Australian Open. The Serb sealed his spot in the semis in Melbourne after getting past quality players in Tomas Machac and Jiri Lehecka before beating ATP No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in an absorbing quarterfinal clash.

"Novak looked great in Australia. He looked phenomenal beating Alcaraz. He beat Machac, he beat Lehecka, who have since gone on to play great. They were on the shortlist of guys that we liked going into the year. Beats Alcaraz in a primetime match," Roddick said (at 38:20).

The now-retired former No. 1 went on to discuss the injury that eventually led to Novak Djokovic retiring mid-match during his semifinal encounter in Melbourne against Alexander Zverev. Andy Roddick also cast his mind to the Serb controversially sharing an image of the scan that showed the extent of his left hamstring injury on social media. This stemmed from critics questioning his rejuvenated performance against Alcaraz in the quarters following an extended medical timeout.

"Gets hurt, puts out the image of a tear, and I just assume and I always get it wrong, because I apply what it would take most people to recover from something. I didn't think we were going to see Novak. You put out the image of a tear and it's not as if I look at it and know what it is. I just know that it's not great," Roddick added.

The American went on to claim that he had sent the scan over to 'an orthopedic friend', who told Roddick that it looked like a six-week spell on the sidelines for the Serb.

However, the ATP No. 7's recovery was far swifter, as he played in his first-round loss to Matteo Berrettini in Doha a little over three weeks since his semifinal retirement in Melbourne. Djokovic is in Indian Wells right now for the 2025 BNP Paribas Open.

"So, sent it to an orthopedic friend of mine and he's like, "Oh gosh! Normally that would take a while. It'd be six weeks." I'm like, "Oh!" In my mind, I'm going, "Maybe Monte Carlo, as a nice little home game for him now?" But we've seen him twice. We saw him two weeks ago in Doha and he's playing Indian Wells," Roddick stated further.

Last but not least, the 42-year-old opined that Djokovic's participation is great for the BNP Paribas Open, considering the ongoing suspension of ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

"Great for them, you lose Sinner, you gain Djokovic. That's a good offset for them to not have the No. 1 player in the world but all of a sudden... I'm sure at the end of Australia, Indian Wells and Tommy Haas (tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open) thought that they had no chance of Novak posting for this," Roddick concluded.

In addition to Indian Wells, Djokovic's name is also on the entry list for the 2025 Miami Open. The Serb is also likely to reap the rewards of having coach Andy Murray alongside him throughout the Sunshine Double.

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Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's collaboration set to resume at Indian Wells after Brit's absence in Qatar

Novak Djokovic (left) and Andy Murray (right) during a practice session at the 2025 Australian Open (Source: Getty)

Novak Djokovic has played three tournaments since roping in former rival Andy Murray as his coach. However, Murray was physically present only at the Australian Open. That in itself looked as if it motivated the Serb to perform at his best. At the Brisbane International and the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where Murray was absent, the 24-time Grand Slam champion appeared vulnerable.

The Serb and the Brit have already got to work at Indian Wells, with the YouTube channel of Tennis TV sharing a video featuring the legendary pair on Wednesday, March 5.

The video featured snippets from a practice session where the 99-time ATP Tour-level titlist locked horns with former No. 2 and three-time Major runner-up Casper Ruud.

Djokovic is currently tied with Roger Federer as the joint-record five-time winner of the BNP Paribas Open.