Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas have joined forces for the men’s doubles competition at the Indian Wells Masters. The duo, who received a wildcard entry for the prestigious Masters 1000 event, made a strong start by defeating the reigning champions Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the round of 32 with a convincing scoreline of 6-3, 6-2.
After their successful match, Djokovic and Tsitsipas brainstormed team names for their partnership. Tsitsipas proposed the name “Djokopas,” while Djokovic suggested “Stefanole” as their team moniker.
Tsitsipas, who has experienced a dip in his singles performance over the past year, is aiming to make a mark in the doubles category at Indian Wells. In addition to teaming up with Djokovic, the Greek star is also competing in mixed doubles alongside compatriot Maria Sakkari.
Tsitsipas and Sakkari have previously partnered each other while representing Greece at the United Cup. At this year’s Indian Wells, the pair played two mixed doubles matches, securing a victory against Japan’s Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama but falling short against Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison.
In the upcoming round of 16, Tsitsipas and Sakkari will face off against Anna Danilina and Karen Khachanov, with the winner set to meet either third-seeded Luisa Stefani and Marcelo Arevalo or unseeded Ellen Perez and Kevin Krawietz in the quarterfinals.
While Tsitsipas’ singles journey at Indian Wells concluded in the first round with a loss to Denis Shapovalov, Djokovic remains in contention in the singles competition. The third-seeded Serbian star secured his spot in the fourth round after battling through two tough matches.
Djokovic, who received a bye into the second round, overcame Kamil Majchrzak in a three-set encounter before defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic in another hard-fought match. In the fourth round, Djokovic is set to face defending champion and 14th seed Jack Draper, whom he previously defeated at Wimbledon 2021.
The winner of the Djokovic-Draper clash will advance to the quarterfinals to take on either 11th seed Daniil Medvedev or Alex Michelsen. The stakes are high as the top players vie for supremacy at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
As the tournament progresses, fans eagerly anticipate the exciting matchups and potential upsets that await in both the singles and doubles competitions. Stay tuned for more thrilling action from Indian Wells as the world’s best tennis players battle it out on the court.
Publisher: Edited by Parag Jain
