Novak Djokovic showed his generous side ahead of his third-round match at the Indian Wells Masters on Monday, March 11. He traded a few hits with four-time Major winner Jim Courier's kids at the end of his practice session.
Djokovic, who is playing in the Californian desert for the first time since 2019, launched his campaign at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in comprehensive fashion on Sunday. Having received a first-round bye, the Serb had to fight off a spirited challenge from Australia's Aleksandar Vukic late in the match before eventually registering a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 win to reach the third round.
Novak Djokovic was in high spirits during his latest practice session at Indian Wells on Tuesday morning. He invited Jim Courier's sons onto the court to trade hits with him. The 24-time Major winner was admittedly impressed with both young players' games, writing on his Instagram stories:
"Fun times on the court today with your kids, Jim. They got their dad's genes 🧬💪🙌"
Djokovic and Courier were joined on-court by the latter's wife, Susanna Lingman. During the practice session, the 36-year-old played some singles practice points with each of the former World No. 1's sons. The catch was that the loser would have to run two rounds of the court and perform five push-ups.
The Serb had both Courier Jr.'s numbers initially, even though they won multiple points against him. He eventually lost to them and had to do push-ups and run around the court.
Courier Sr., on his part, made a hilarious quip during the practice hit, saying:
"He (Courier's elder son) better have your (Djokovic) backhand, not mine!"
Novak Djokovic has an easy draw until the semifinals of Indian Wells 2024
Novak Djokovic will take on lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round of the 2024 Indian Wells Masters. Since the two players have not met on the ATP Tour, their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
The 24-time Major winner will face either Tommy Paul or Ugo Humbert for a place in the last eight, provided he beats the 20-year-old Italian. The World No. 1 will likely face ninth-seeded Casper Ruud, 2021 titlist Cameron Norrie or former World No. 6 Gael Monfils next, as he bids for his first semifinal appearance in Palm Springs since 2016.
The going gets increasingly difficult for the 36-year-old after the quarterfinals, with last year's finalist Daniil Medvedev and seventh-seeded Holger Rune being his projected last-four opponents.
In the final, the five-time Indian Wells winner will likely face either Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner or defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, which will make for a blockbuster match.
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