WATCH: Novak Djokovic goes "gangster" with sideways cap to shield from glaring sun at Indian Wells

The sun bothered Novak Djokovic during his campaign opening match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The Serbian turned his cap sideways to block the rays from disturbing his vision.

Sixth seed Djokovic received a bye in the first round and faced Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells on Saturday, March 8.

The Serb, who came to the USA on the back of a surprising early exit in Qatar, did not start the match well. He went down in the first set 2-6. He played a much better second set and won it 6-3 but when he was leading at 4-1, the sun was bothering him a lot.

Eventually, he turned on "gangster" mode and turned his cap sideways to block the sun. The Tennis TV commentator described it as:

"He's going a little gangster with the hat there"

Watch the video below:

Although the Serb managed to force a decider, he was nowhere near his Dutch opponent's level, and Zandschulp eventually advanced after a convincing 6-1 third-set win.

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Novak Djokovic's disappointing run continues after surprise early Indian Wells exit

Novak Djokovic at the BNP Paribas Open - Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic has faced multiple injury issues in the past few years as he approaches 40. In 2025, he has participated in four events. Early in January, the Serb played at the Brisbane International and reached the quarterfinal, marking a decent start to the season.

Next, he played some impressive tennis at the Australian Open though injury issues continued to loom. Eventually, in the semifinal against Alexander Zverev, the 37-year-old had to retire mid-match.

After a break of close to a month, Djokovic returned to the court in Qatar. He was ousted in his campaign opener by Italy's Matteo Berrettini. While leaving Doha, however, the Serb was seen limping into the airport raising more injury concerns.

Before playing in California, he clarified his injury status during a press conference.

"Yeah, I saw that (the video). No, it was something different, actually. It was not an injury. The injury is behind me. I mean, hopefully. I haven't felt any problems prior to Doha, end of Doha tournament I felt completely fine, as I have felt in the lead-up to Indian Wells, my training weeks," he said.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion's season has gone from bad to worse with an early loss at Indian Wells. This was a second consecutive loss for him at the Masters 1000 event against a lucky loser. Up next, the Serb will feature at the Miami Open.