Last year was one of the most significant years of Novak Djokovic's career, but 2024 hasn't gone that well so far.
After the type of year the Serbian had in 2023, it's kind of unrealistic to expect that it'll happen again. Yes, he's Djokovic, arguably the greatest player of all time, but he's also only a human, so there are limitations to what he can do.
Perhaps that's why alarms went off when the Serbian lost to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open earlier this year. But now, he has a chance to calm the nerves with a good performance at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells.
According to the man himself, the slower start has more to do with the fact that he hasn't had time to properly rest and recharge after the draining 2023 campaign.
"I made some amazing records, also history of the sport, that took a lot out of me, so I didn't feel like I really had the proper time to rest and to do a proper preparation block like maybe I would normally do. But it is what it is."
There is an argument to be made for that because he played at the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals and he might be just a little bit tired. He's not the youngest player anymore, and that plays a role too.
He took some time off after the Australian Open, and in Indian Wells, he also recognized the efforts of the young Italian, who stopped him from winning his eleventh Australian Open title.
"I don't think I played my best tennis in Australia, whereas Jannik [Sinner] did, and he was just far better player than me that day [in the semi-finals]. And after that, he he made an incredible comeback in the final and won his first title. So it was absolutely deserved."
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