What was the biggest stunner of Novak Djokovic’s Saturday in Indian Wells?
There was, first and foremost, his three-set loss to 85th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp. That may sound like a shocking result to the casual fan, but anyone who follows the sport week to week knew it was a possibility.
Djokovic was playing just his second match since the Australian Open. At his last event, in Doha, he lost his opening match to Matteo Berrettini. And van de Zandschulp is a quality player who, with wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal last year, has earned a reputation as a giant slayer. He’s deceptively quick for someone 6-foot-3, he plays a somewhat similar game to Djokovic’s, and he’s eight years younger.
It was hardly surprising that Djokovic was rusty. That he started slowly. That he missed the skill shots—half-volleys, lobs, drops—that don’t always come back right away. That his timing wasn’t sharp on his return. That the wind, the sun, and the transition from the practice court to the stadium court, affected him more than they normally would. That he may have had physical issues that remained unnamed.
