Novak Djokovic imitated NBA legend LeBron James' iconic 'Silencer' celebration during a practice ahead of the 2025 Indian Wells Masters. The Serb has won the ATP Masters 1000 hard court tournament in California a record five times, and he shared this record only with Roger Federer.
Djokovic competed at the 2025 Qatar Open, where he lost in the first round to Matteo Berrettini. He also competed in the doubles event in Doha alongside Fernando Verdasco, reaching the quarterfinals before being defeated by Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
Djokovic is seeded sixth at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters, and he will kick off his campaign in the second round. Ahead of the beginning of his run at the tournament, he was spotted training on the practice courts with coach Andy Murray.
During training, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was seen mimicking LeBron James, who has a net worth of $800 million (according to Celebrity Net Worth). The Serb did James' 'Silencer' celebration after winning a point during training. The celebration involves pushing both arms down while lifting a knee
Watch the video of the Serb imitating LeBron James' 'Silencer' celebration here:
Novak Djokovic last won the Indian Wells Masters in 2016 when he defeated the likes of qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo, 27th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, 18th seed Feliciano Lopez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and fourth seed Rafael Nadal to advance to the final. In the championship match, he defeated 12th seed Milos Raonic 6–2, 6–0 to win the title.
Novak Djokovic will face Botic van de Zandschulp at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters 2R
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Novak Djokovic will begin his campaign at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters in the second round after receiving a first-round bye, and he will take on lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp.
Van de Zandschulp secured his place in the main draw of the ATP Masters 1000 hard court tournament in California by defeating Lukas Klein 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the first qualifying round. Despite a loss to Matteo Gigante in the second qualifying round with a score of 5-7, 0-6, a withdrawal from Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta due to injury allowed him to advance to the main draw.
In the main draw, the Dutchman faced Nick Kyrgios in the first round and progressed to the second round after the Aussie withdrew from their match during the second set due to a wrist injury, with the score at 7-6(7), 3-0 retd.
Novak Djokovic and Botic van de Zandschulp met once on the ATP Tour during the second round of the 2022 Astana Open. The Serb emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-1. The winner of their upcoming second-round match at Indian Wells will move on to face either 32nd seed Francisco Cerundolo or American wild card Mackenzie McDonald in the third round.
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