Novak Djokovic saw his Indian Wells 2024 campaign come to a premature end in the third round. Some of his rival’s fans pointed out how Roger Federer finished runner-up in the same tournament when he was 36, the same age the Serb is now, and even the next year.
As the first seed, Djokovic was a leading favourite to win the Indian Wells title in his first appearance since 2019. However, lucky loser Luca Nardi stunned everyone by beating the World No.1 in the third round.
The World No.123 caused one of the biggest upsets in recent history, also giving Djokovic’s detractors sufficient ammunition. Some dug up Federer’s run to the Indian Wells final in 2018 when he was just months away from his 37th birthday. Djokovic is at the same age now, hence the Swiss star’s fans believe this gives their idol the edge in the GOAT debate.
Roger Federer won his fifth Indian Wells title in 2017 to equal Novak Djokovic for the most. He reached the final in 2018, threatening to pull clear. He had just won the Australian Open 2018, his last Majors trophy. In fact, in a late-career resurgence, he had won three of the last four Grand Slams he participated in.
Hence, he was widely expected to lift the ATP 1000 title. However, Juan Martin del Potro had other plans. The Argentine defeated a 36-year-old Federer 6–4, 6–7(8), 7–6(2) to lift his only Indian Wells trophy.
Bouncing back from his final loss in 2018, Federer was back in 2019. Once again, just months shy of his 38th birthday, he reached the summit clash of Indian Wells. This time, though, it was Dominic Thiem who prevented him from getting the record sixth title.
Regardless of Federer’s commendable achievements, it would be a stretch to say that it gives him the lead in the GOAT debate over Djokovic. Even more so since the latter won three Grand Slams and the ATP Finals last year.
Novak Djokovic form causes concerns but he remains a firm favourite for titles
Even as the fan wars raged on after Djokovic’s exit, many tennis lovers showed concern about his performance. Before the shock upset, he also looked scratchy against Aleksandar Vukic in the second round, needing three sets to win.
Nevertheless, no one expected him to fall to a lucky loser who had recently lost to the World No.462 in a Challenger tournament. It may likely already be the biggest upset of the season.
Novak Djokovic also underperformed at the Australian Open. While he did make it to the semi-finals, his stature means anything less than a title will invite concern and critiques. Except for the lopsided demolition of an exhausted Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round, he did not look convincing during most of his ties.
Fans will be quick to bring up that Roger Federer was challenging for the big titles early 2020, when he was 39. In fact, he won an ATP 500 trophy as late as October 2019. Despite a couple of rough tournaments, no one is writing Djokovic off yet.
He is still World No.1 and will enter all events, including Grand Slams, as a title favorite. More often than not, he will mount a title challenge even during his advancing years. The upcoming Miami Open is one such example, and the Serb himself will be raring to go for the trophy.
