Novak Djokovic is competing in both singles and doubles at the 2026 Indian Wells Masters, partnering Stefanos Tsitsipas in doubles. Recently, Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, expressed his feelings about the Serb’s schedule at the ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament, where he played both singles and doubles on the same day.
Brad Gilbert Reacts to Novak Djokovic Playing Two Matches in a Day at the 2026 Indian Wells Masters
In the doubles event at the Indian Wells Masters, Djokovic and Tsitsipas received a wild card entry into the main draw. They began their campaign by defeating the defending champions, the third-seeded duo of Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round. Next, they will face Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot in the second round.
In the singles event, the 24-time singles Grand Slam champion is seeded third and began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. Djokovic won his opening match against Kamil Majchrzak 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, and advanced to the fourth round by defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the third round.
Following his victory over Kovacevic, Djokovic played his first round doubles match at Tennis Paradise alongside Tsitsipas on the same day. This packed schedule drew a reaction from coach Brad Gilbert, who expressed disbelief over Djokovic playing a match in the morning and then competing again in the afternoon.
“i having to do a double take Djoker playing at 11am this morning and playing doubles late ⏰ this afternoon,” Gilbert posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Looking ahead, Djokovic is set to face defending champion Jack Draper in the fourth round of the 2026 Indian Wells Masters. The Brit, seeded 14th, began his campaign in the second round after a first-round bye. He defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round and triumphed over 19th seed Francisco Cerúndolo 6-1, 7-5 in the third round, securing his place in the fourth round.
Djokovic and Draper have met only once on the ATP Tour, in the first round of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. In that match, the former World No. 1 secured a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win, before going on to defeat Matteo Berrettini in the final, claiming his sixth Wimbledon title and his 20th Grand Slam title overall.
The winner of the fourth round match between Djokovic and Draper at the 2026 Indian Wells Masters will advance to face either 11th seed Daniil Medvedev, Alex Michelsen, or Sebastián Báez in the quarterfinals.
