INDIAN WELLS (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic was pushed by Aleksandar Vukic but held on to win his first Indian Wells match after a five-year absence on Saturday as he bids for a record sixth title in the California desert.
The world number one has not competed in the tournament since 2019, unable to enter the US due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he received a warm welcome from the fans in a 6-2 5-7 6-3 victory.
“He definitely feels at home,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview.
“Five years is a very long time for a tennis player. They call this tournament Tennis Paradise for a reason. It’s so amazing to be a part of it as a player and a fan. There’s a great community, great culture, great love for the sport.”
In his first match since falling in the Australian Open semi-finals in January to eventual winner Jannik Sinner, the top-seeded Serb looked fresh, breaking serve in the opening game and taking the first set with an ace.
The unseeded Australian found range with his blistering forehand in the second set and eventually broke serve when Djokovic’s backhand narrowly missed the target down the line.
Vukic saved three break points in the next game to lead 3-0, but Djokovic broke through with a superb drop shot volley to break back and hold serve for 3-3.
But Djokovic’s 12th unforced error of the set brought set points and Vukič hammered home a stunning return winner to send the match to a third set.
In the deciding game, Djokovic crushed his own forehand, which Vukic could not return to the break game and did not give up the 3-2 lead, Vukic failed to hit a lob on the match point to advance to the third round.
Earlier, American Taylor Fritz put on a clinic to beat Alejandro Tabil 7-6(2) 6-2 in his second round match.
The 2022 champion never faced a breaking point and crushed his 14th ace of the match to beat Chilano under sunny desert skies in front of a crowd supporting the San Diego native.
“It’s unbelievable,” Fritz said on center court after the win.
“I’ve been coming to this tournament as a kid for a long time and this is my favorite stop of the year, just hearing the crowd and the support when I leave is incredible.”
Tabilo served well in the opening and a tight first set was eventually settled in a tiebreak where Fritz took advantage of his opportunities.
“I kind of looked at the second serve in the tiebreak,” Fritz said. “Then in the second set I started to find my rhythm and served a little bit better.
Canadian Milos Raonic withdrew ahead of his second-round clash with seventh seed Holger Run due to a calf strain.
The former world number three was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open and Rotterdam due to injury, making it a tough start to the year for the 33-year-old.
Former champion Cameron Norrie, French teenager Arthur Fils and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the third round in straight sets.
