The gulf in experience between Novak Djokovic, the winner of 24 majors, and the 69th-ranked Aleksandar Vukic, who enjoyed the finest moment of his professional career when he reached the final of last summer’s Atlanta Open, did not need spelling out in advance of their meeting in Indian Wells.
For Djokovic, a five-time champion in the California desert, where he is playing for the first time since 2019, it was a 1,310th tour-level match. For Vukic, a 27-year-old Australian of Serbian and Montenegrin heritage, it was a long-awaited opportunity to get up close and personal with a man he describes as his “biggest idol”.
“It’s kind of extraordinary for someone that’s continuously won slams to continuously improve as well,” said Vukic, speaking on the eve of the tournament. “That is crazy, [as is] his mental resilience and his ability to consistently overcome very tight situations. It’s going to be a very good challenge, but I’m excited to kind of see what all the fuss is about.”
What the gifted Australian probably did not imagine was that he would get to observe Djokovic’s resilience and ability to navigate a tight corner at first hand. Vukic signalled his intention to compete by opening the match with a pair of aces and, although Djokovic went on to seize control of the opening set, Vukic began to realise that he could actually compete with his hero. It was all the invitation the Australian needed to set to work with his hammer-like forehand as Djokovic, playing his first match since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals, was forced to dig deep before rallying to emerge with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory.
“At one point I was a bit worried, because I lost a set, and then in beginning of the third it was kind of going toe to toe,” said Djokovic, who will face Luca Nardi, a 20-year-old Italian qualifier, in round three. “But I thought the chances will come as I stay in the match and try to raise the level of tennis.
“I have to give him credit, because he stepped it up. He served well, ripping forehands towards the end of the second, beginning of the third, and was deservedly still in the match. Could I have done some things better? Yeah, of course I could. But, you know, hopefully the rust is a bit off, or at least a bit less rust that I’m feeling for the next match, and the continuation of this tournament.”
Even as he dominated the initial stages, there were warning signs of potential trouble ahead for Djokovic. The world No 1 faced a break point in the fourth game and applauded when Vukic, all nimble footwork and immaculate balance, danced around a deep ball to fire a brilliant off-forehand winner in the fifth. There were flashes of brilliance from Djokovic, who stroked home a sumptuous backhand approach to consolidate an early break and sealed the set with an ace, but soon Vukic began to find his feet in earnest.
With the Australian’s first-serve percentage creeping up, the onus was on Djokovic to remain firm on his delivery. Instead, having fended off the second of three break points with a 110mph second serve that suggested he was fully alive to the danger, the Serb nudged a backhand fractionally wide on the third. Vukic rubbed salt into the wound by capitalising on a missed overhead from Djokovic to recover from 0-40 down, and suddenly the top seed was 3-0 down. He was quick to recover, breaking back in the fifth game with a stumbling drop volley, but Vukic was now firmly in contention.
With Djokovic serving to stay in the set at 5-6, Vukic found a stunning forehand return winner to convert his second set point, turning to his box with a look of half-bemused wonderment. At the other end, the top seed breathed a heavy sigh. But it is not the first time he has faced an inspired opponent in an early round, and he retained his patience and composure. Djokovic’s chance came in the fifth game of the decider, where he converted a break point with a sudden injection of pace. He would not be caught.
“Competing at the highest level for 20 years has allowed me to tap into the parts of myself mentally, physically, emotionally that I didn’t know existed,” said Djokovic, who will face Luca Nardi, a 20-year-old Italian qualifier, in round three.
“I had to really dig deep so many times to overcome challenges and reach history and great achievements.”
There was another little slice of history here, too, the victory securing a 400th Masters 1000 victory for Djokovic, who becomes only the second player to reach that landmark. Having now seen what all the fuss is about, Vukic will doubtless be glad to have been a part of it.