Tennis News

Tom Brady jokes about Djokovic’s football throw: 'More confident than some on Sunday'

There are plenty of ways to warm up for a big tournament, but Novak Djokovic added a little NFL flair to his preparations ahead of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

The Serbian star shared a light-hearted clip on Instagram from the California desert, where he posted footage of himself launching a spiral with an American football. The Serbian had a very specific person in mind when he shared it.

After sending the ball sailing downfield, Djokovic tagged seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady in the caption with a playful question: “Good form?”

It didn’t take long for the NFL legend to notice, with Brady delivering a quick-fired response.

“Actually you look a lot more confident out there than a lot of the guys I watch on Sunday,” Brady replied, leaning into the joke and giving Djokovic’s throwing motion a glowing review.

The interaction is the latest between the two sporting greats. Djokovic and Tom Brady have crossed paths several times in recent years, including at the US Open and Roland Garros, where the NFL legend has been spotted watching the 101-time tour-level titlist in action.

Djokovic is chasing a record sixth title in Indian Wells this fortnight, having last triumphed at the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2016. The 38-year-old Serbian, who is 6-1 on the year according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, will face Kamil Majchrzak in his opening-round match on Saturday.

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Who has won the Indian Wells tennis title?

Carlos Alcaraz is aiming to win his third title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells this fortnight.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who triumphed in 2023-24, would become just the fifth player with three or more trophies at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer hold the record for the most titles (five) in Indian Wells.

Former World No. 1 Jimmy Connors won the first edition of the event in 1976, which was the first of three titles he claimed. Jack Draper is the most recent champion in Indian Wells, having defeated Alcaraz and Holger Rune en route to the 2025 trophy.

Here is a breakdown of all players to triumph at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Past Champions at the BNP Paribas Open

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'A fresh start' – Draper sports buzz cut for Indian Wells title defence

Jack Draper says he no longer has “any fear” around the arm injury that plagued him for eight months as he prepares to begin his Indian Wells title defence.

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When will Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic play their first matches in Indian Wells?

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are set to headline action at the BNP Paribas Open.

Second seed Sinner, who is in the bottom half of the draw, will open his Indian Wells campaign on Friday, when he will face qualifier Dalibor Svrcina in the second round. The Italian has won all of the other five hard-court events at the ATP Masters 1000 level and is chasing his first title in the California desert.

Top seed Alcaraz, who is in the top half of the draw, will begin his bid for a third Indian Wells crown on Saturday. He will take on former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in his opening match. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings fell to eventual champion Jack Draper in the semi-finals in 2025.

Djokovic, who is in the same half of the draw as Alcaraz, will also start on Saturday, when he faces Kamil Majchrzak in his first match since the Australian Open final in January. The third seed is a five-time champion at the event and is seeking his 102nd tour-level title this fortnight.

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'We should not have played' – how tennis was caught in Middle East conflict

Players have criticised the decision for a tennis tournament to be held in the UAE in the midst of Iranian attacks – including one still stranded there.

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Berrettini reveals first meeting with Enqvist: 'I remember feeling this energy'

Lost in the drama of Matteo Berrettini’s cramping at the end of his first-round BNP Paribas Open win Wednesday was someone in his box: former World No. 4 Thomas Enqvist.

The Italian has recently been working with the 19-time ATP Tour titlist, with their relationship dating back to Berrettini’s participation in the 2021 Laver Cup, where Enqvist was vice captain for Team Europe.

“I remember the energy,” Berrettini told ATPTour.com. “When I was by myself in Boston the first time that I went there, my fitness coach arrived the day of the match, so I basically got ready with Thomas. But Thomas was the one who was taking care of my preparation, my training and everything.”

Bjorn Borg was famously one of the event’s first captains alongside rival John McEnroe. And even though Berrettini was highly complimentary of Borg, one of 29 members of the ATP No. 1 Club, he was immediately struck by Enqvist’s presence.

“I remember feeling this energy. This guy loves tennis and loves to work with players, and I just remember that,” Berrettini said. “I was like, ‘Who knows, maybe in the future we can work together’. And it happened, so I’m really happy and proud of that.”

Enqvist spent time in the offseason with Berrettini, who began his year last month in Buenos Aires. After losing the first set in four of his first six matches of 2026, the former No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings also dropped his opener Wednesday against Adrian Mannarino.

But Berrettini dug in under the intense California sun and rallied past the Frenchman 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in two hours and 49 minutes. After match point, he fell to the court due to the cramp. The battle left him smiling.

“That’s the thing that I enjoyed the most today. I kept telling myself that these are the matches and fights that I’m working for,” Berrettini said. “All those trainings, all those days, waking up and going to hit so many balls, it is all for these moments.

“I’m so glad, I’m so happy that I could do that. The cramping is because I gave it all. I just want to feel like this when I play. That’s the main goal.”

Berrettini simply hopes to put himself in such positions. The 29-year-old has struggled with injuries over the past few years and fallen as low as World No. 154.

Through the toughest moments, the Italian has worked towards moments like he enjoyed Wednesday — and opportunities like the one he’s earned Friday against two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev.

“I think you’ve got to embrace and enjoy the process that brings you to the court because if you’re too smiley out there, I feel, at least for me, it doesn’t really work 100 per cent,” Berrettini said. “I need to have the kind of fear, the kind of tension that needs to be there in order to perform my best. But at the same time, when I’m feeling like I felt today, I think that’s the key.”

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Sinner & Opelka, Djokovic & Tsitsipas headline singles stars in Indian Wells doubles draw

The BNP Paribas Open doubles draw Thursday served up must-see matches between singles stars and highly seeded doubles duos.

Jannik Sinner and Reilly Opelka will face top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in a marquee opening-round matchup, while Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas are set to meet defending champions and third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic.

Sinner and Opelka won the Atlanta title in 2021 and were slated to partner again in Miami in 2022 until Opelka withdrew with an injury. Opelka made a winning start to his Indian Wells singles campaign on Wednesday, beating fellow American Ethan Quinn, while Sinner will play his first singles match on Friday against Dalibor Svrcina.

Granollers and Zeballos, who competed together at the Nitto ATP Finals last season, have reached the Australian Open semi-finals and the Dallas final in their two events as a pair this year. They are ranked No. 3 and No. 2 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings, respectively.

Arevalo and Pavic won the 2025 Indian Wells crown without losing a set, beating four pairs of primarily singles players along the way—including Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson in the final.

Djokovic and Tsitsipas will hope to change those patterns, with the Greek likely to be especially motivated after being knocked out of the singles draw by Denis Shapovalov on Wednesday night. Djokovic is seeded third in the singles draw and will face Kamil Majchrzak on Saturday to open his campaign.

View the full doubles draw

Rivals Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien are also teaming up in the desert, with the unlikely pair set to face cousins Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot in the first round. Other notable first-round matchups include Felix Auger-Aliassime and Sebastian Korda vs. Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev vs. sixth seeds Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, and Emilio Nava and Ben Shelton vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Arthur Fils.

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GB's Kartal & Fearnley progress at Indian Wells

Britons Sonay Kartal and Jacob Fearnley both progress to the second round at Indian Wells with straight-set wins, but Fran Jones loses.

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Dimitrov delivers to set Alcaraz showdown at Indian Wells

Grigor Dimitrov seized revenge and a blockbuster opportunity in one stroke on Thursday at the BNP Paribas Open, where he overcame Terence Atmane 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to line up a heavyweight Indian Wells clash with top seed Carlos Alcaraz.

The 34-year-old Bulgarian avenged a defeat to Atmane from just eight days ago in Acapulco, rallying from a frustrating end to the second set to close out the match in three. With his victory, Dimitrov set a meeting with two-time Indian Wells champion Alcaraz, who beat him in the fourth round at the tournament last year — their most recent Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

Hard fought but secured ⛓️@GrigorDimitrov navigates a tricky opening round test against Atmane and will face Alcaraz in the second round.@BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/RTJE2QClvA

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 5, 2026

“I think I started the match really well but it was just difficult to maintain a solid level,” said Dimitrov, who reached the Indian Wells semi-finals in 2021. “I knew that I would get a few chances at some point, so I was just holding onto those moments. It could have gone either way, but I was able to stay very strong in the most important moments.”

In the second set, Dimitrov held seven break points at 5-5, according to Infosys ATP Stats, but was unable to convert any before dropping serve in the following game, allowing Atmane into a decider. The former World No. 3 responded clinically, however, to earn another shot at Alcaraz, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings who is on a 12-match winning streak to begin 2026.

“I’m always looking on my side of the net,” Dimitrov said when asked about the clash with Alcaraz. “At this point in my career, I’m almost always going to look at my side of the net and what I want to do. If I win, great. If I lose, great again. This is the mindset that I want to adopt a lot more.”

In other action on Thursday in Indian Wells, Kamil Majchrzak defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 to set up a second-round meeting with third seed Novak Djokovic. The 38-year-old Serbian will be playing his first match since reaching the Australian Open final in January, when he lost to Alcaraz in four sets.

Alexander Shevchenko and Jacob Fearnley also advanced. Shevchenko beat qualifier Sho Shimabukuro 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to earn a second-round matchup with 13th seed Casper Ruud, while Fearnley downed Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-3 and will next meet 2022 champion Taylor Fritz.

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ATP Athlete Arrivals: Fashion takes centre court at Indian Wells

ATP Athlete Arrivals: Fashion takes centre court at Indian Wells

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