Novak Djokovic overcomes some tense moments in first match back at Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic won his first Indian Wells match in five years on Saturday, overcoming a tense second and third set and a poised opponent with the pressure on the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the BNP Paribas Open.

The 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 win over Aleksandar Vukic of Australia came in front of a crowd that nearly filled the 16,100-seat Stadium 1 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The victory was Djokovic's 400th career Masters 1000 win, which brings him just six shy of Rafael Nadal's record.

Vukic nearly prevented Djokovic from reaching that milestone.

"He deserved every applause he received," Djokovic said of Vukic. "He played an incredible match."

Saturday's match was Djokovic’s first since losing to Jannik Sinner of Italy in the semifinals of the Australian Open in January. Djokovic said that he was a bit nervous for this match largely due to his time off and the uncertainty of how much rust he would have to shake.

Those nerves surely intensified after losing the second set, and with Vukic playing pummeling shots all over the court with authority.

But in the fifth game of the third set, with Vukic matching Djokovic shot for shot, the Serbian tennis star and top-ranked player in the world continued applying the pressure before going up a break and holding serve to avoid an upset.

The match marked the first time Djokovic had faced Vukic, who was born in Australia but has ties to Djokovic's homeland. Vukic's parents are from Montenegro and left for Australia during the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Djokovic said that he knew Vukic as a result of that tie.

"He speaks the same language, even though he represents Australia," Djokovic said. "I've seen him around and watched him play the last couple of years, but I had never faced him on the court. It's completely different facing someone than watching them on the TV.

"His serve and his forehand were lethal today. Every single opportunity he got, he was crushing it."

Djokovic will face unseeded Luca Nardi of Italy on Monday.

Entering Indian Wells, there were concerns about how Djokovic would play given that he hadn’t played a match in six weeks and the fact that he had been away from Indian Wells for so long and would have to adjust to the tricky conditions at a place where he had not had much recent success.

Djokovic had lost three of his last four matches at Indian Wells and had not won a match here since beating American Bjorn Fratangelo in the Round of 64 in 2019.

Djokovic, 36, won three consecutive titles here, from 2014 to 2016, setting the record for most consecutive matches won at this event at 19. But his win streak came to an end against Nick Kyrgios of Australia in 2017, and Djokovic lost his first match here a year later, to Taro Daniel of Japan.

He then beat Fratangelo in 2019 before losing to German Philipp Kohlschreiber.

The BNP Paribas Open was canceled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Djokovic opted not to play in the 2021 event after it was moved to October.

Djokovic was unable to play in the 2022 and 2023 events due to a United States travel restriction that prevented unvaccinated foreigners from flying into the country. The mandate ended last May.

On Saturday, Djokovic immediately went up a break in the first set, then went up a double break while holding his own serve. He cruised to the victory.

In the second set, Djokovic went down a break and Vukic led 3-0 before Djokovic got back on serve with a break of his own in the fifth game of the set. The two each held serve for the next six games, with Djokovic saving a pair of set points, before Vukic blasted a clean winner down the sideline to finally break Djokovic to take the set.

"I think I really focused on my play and what I wanted to do," said Vukic, who said that he idolized Djokovic growing up. "I think it's something I can take a lot from and something that can give me confidence going forward. Doing that is sometimes enough."

Djokovic committed an uncharacteristic 12 unforced errors in the second set, while Vukic did not shrink in the moment.

But Djokovic, who is seeking what would be a record sixth singles title at Indian Wells, would not be defeated on this day, in the spotlight at a tournament that he knows all too well.

"I think as the tournament progresses, I believe my game will get better as well," Djokovic said. "I will feel more confident about myself and my chances to go far in the tournament.

"I have to take it step by step."

Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him andrew.john@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Novak Djokovic survives a tense first match at Indian Wells