Novak Djokovic got past a spirited challenge from Aleksandar Vukic to begin his Indian Wells 2024 on a positive note. The victory also saw him write his name into the history books as only the second male to win 400 matches in ATP Masters tournaments.
The foundation for this legendary record was laid in 2005 when Djokovic bagged his first win in an ATP 1000 event. Here is a timeline of his milestone wins along the route:
1. 2005 – The first victory
Djokovic’s first win in an ATP Masters event came at the 2005 Paris Masters. Coming in as a qualifier, he came up against Victor Hanescu. The Romanian, though, retired after only five games, trailing 4-1. Despite technically getting the W, Djokovic could not get a full win to show as his first at the most elite level on the ATP Tour.
2. 2008 – Novak Djokovic bagged his 50th ATP Masters match win during Canadian Open title defence
Djokovic entered the 2008 Canadian Open after having won the title in 2007 in his first main draw appearance. As the World No.3 and third seed, he received a bye into the second round.
After getting past a local wildcard, he met Robin Soderling. He defeated the Swede 6-4, 6-4 in their third-round clash without much difficulty. This marked his 50th win in an ATP 1000 tournament. His title defence, though, was cut short by Andy Murray in the very next round.
3. 2010 – Djokovic completes century 100 wins by defeating fellow Serbian
Having finished runner-up two years on the trot, Novak Djokovic began his 2010 Cincinnati Open campaign hoping for the title. Seeded second, he directly went to the second round as usual.
Here, he faced fellow Serbian and good friend Victor Troicki. Defeating his countryman was no hard task, as Djokovic strolled to a 6-3, 7-5 victory. This victory saw him achieve 100 match wins in ATP Masters tournaments. However, his run ended in the quarter-final at the hands of Andy Roddick.
4. 2013 – Novak Djokovic secures 200th win and 16th Masters title
Following an iconic semi-final against Roger Federer, World No.2 Djokovic faced World N0.3 David Ferrer in the final of the 2013 Paris Masters.
With 15 ATP Masters titles in his bag, Djokovic was hunting for his 16th, also his second in Paris. The duo put on an entertaining show as the Serbian won 7-5, 7-5 to lift the trophy. Eight years after his first ATP 1000 match win, he reached the 200-victory mark at the same venue.
5. 2017 – Djokovic joins elite 300 ATP Masters match wins club
Novak Djokovic came into the 2017 Indian Wells having won the last three editions on the trot. After receiving a bye into the second round and winning that tie, the #2 seed faced 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the third round.
The two Grand Slam champions displayed great tennis in the first set as Djokovic edged ahead to win 7-5. Del Potro bounced back to level affairs and bagged the second set. However, the three-time defending champion rediscovered his ruthless form in the decider, inflicting a breadstick upon the Argentine to win 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.
This triumph saw Djokovic join his Big 3 fellows Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the only men to win 300 matches in ATP 1000 events. His title defence, however, ended in the next round courtesy of Nick Kyrgios.
6. 2024 – Historic 400th win in ATP Masters for Novak Djokovic
As Djokovic became more selective about his participation with his advancing years, it took seven years for the Serb to bag his next 100 wins in ATP Masters tournaments. Interestingly, he achieved it at the same event where he got his 300th victory.
He returned to Indian Wells in 2024 after last playing in 2019. As World No.1 and top seed, he got a bye into the second round. He defeated Aleksandar Vukic despite not having played since the Australian Open. The rust was evident, as the Aussie stretched him to three sets.
Regardless, Djokovic came out on top to win 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 and secure his 400th match win at the ATP 1000 level, thus following Nadal as the only two ATP pros to do so.
(All stats and scores from Tennis Abstract)
