Novak Djokovic may face Nick Kyrgios in Indian Wells R2!

Novak Djokovic will search his first Indian Wells crown since 2016! The five-time champion must current his A-game proper from the beginning of his desert marketing campaign, with a possible R2 conflict with Nick Kyrgios!

Djokovic and Kyrgios shared the court docket in Brisbane within the first week of the season, though on the identical facet of the court docket. If Nick handed a qualifier within the first spherical, the 2 nice buddies will embrace their fourth singles duel, the primary in practically three years.

In case you missed it 😉@DjokerNole & @NickKyrgios’s doubles debut 👇#BrisbaneInternational pic.twitter.com/OgOCKY2Psz

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) December 30, 2024

Kyrgios ousted Djokovic two occasions inside a few weeks in 2017 in Acapulco and Indian Wells. The Aussie served effectively and outplayed the Serb within the pivotal moments to notch two notable victories. They didn’t like one another again then, to say a minimum of, however the issues improved within the subsequent couple of years. 

Their third duel got here within the 2022 Wimbledon closing, with two rivals displaying mutual respect and promising to play within the doubles. Novak defeated Nick in 4 units to raise his seventh Wimbledon crown. It stays their most up-to-date duel, with the Aussie combating numerous accidents over the past couple of years. 

Kyrgios has performed solely three matches since October 2022, together with two at the start of 2025. He skilled extra points throughout Brisbane and the Australian Open and took a few weeks off the court docket. Nick hopes to compete injury-free in Indian Wells and trigger a few upsets. 

If he passes a qualifier within the first spherical, we are going to see him battling in opposition to the 24-time Main winner. It is laborious to think about the larger motivation for the Aussie, particularly if he plans to increase his tennis journey and goal the top-20 return.

Djokovic will play his fourth match of the season in Indian Wells. He fell to Reilly Opelka in Brisbane earlier than experiencing a hamstring harm in Melbourne. Novak retired within the semi-final in opposition to Alexander Zverev and recovered for the ATP 500 occasion in Doha. 

The legend fell to Matteo Berrettini within the first spherical, and he definitely desires to embrace a a lot deeper run at certainly one of his favourite tournaments. In the event that they each current their A-game, we should always see one other thriller from Novak and Nick, the primary in years!