Organizers of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells have confirmed that Novak Djokovic will compete in the ATP Masters 1000 event starting in early March 2026. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has limited his schedule this year following withdrawals from recent tournaments due to fatigue and readiness concerns. This marks his return to the California hard-court event 20 years after his debut there.
Indian Wells Open organizers announced Djokovic's participation via social media on February 18, 2026, stating, “A legend returns. 20 years after his debut here, Novak Djokovic is coming back to Tennis Paradise!” The Serbian star has played only one tournament in 2026 so far, reaching the Australian Open final in Melbourne before losing in four sets to Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic withdrew from the Adelaide International ahead of the Australian Open, citing that he was not “physically ready” to compete. He also pulled out of this week's Qatar Open due to “strong fatigue.” No further events are scheduled for him in the final week of February, with the Sunshine Double beginning at Indian Wells in the first week of March.
Djokovic has a storied history at the BNP Paribas Open, where he is a five-time champion with titles in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016—the last against Milos Raonic. However, his recent form there has been mixed: in 2025, he lost in the second round to Botic van de Zandschulp, and the previous year in the third round to Luca Nardi. He missed three consecutive editions prior to that for various reasons, and the 2020 event was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A strong field is anticipated, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as top seeds and Djokovic expected to receive the third seed ahead of players like Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz. Djokovic is also anticipated to play the Miami Open afterward, a tournament he has won six times, following his return there last year after a five-year absence. The season will then shift to clay courts, potentially starting with the Monte Carlo Masters.
