When Djokovic's Spirit Isn't Matched by His Performance

At the ATP Astana tournament in Kazakhstan in 2022, Botic van de Zandschulp faced Novak Djokovic for the first time. It was a memorable moment, but not in terms of results.

Van de Zandschulp was eliminated in the second round after losing 3-6, 1-6. Despite playing very well at his level, he only managed to win four games.

"Everything I did, Djokovic had an answer. When I served at 220km/h for example, he returned it amazingly. When we had crosscourt forehands, he finished it off with a better shot. I made 12 winners in the first set. That amount of winners usually wins a player," Van de Zandschulp told the ATP website.

Since that meeting, Van de Zandschulp has grown increasingly impressed with Djokovic. And following that encounter, the tennis player, who has been competing professionally since 2016, hopes for a different outcome if he faces Djokovic again.

That hope materialized when they met three years later in the second round of a higher-level tournament, the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells, California, United States. At the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Saturday afternoon (8/3/2025) local time or Sunday morning Indonesian time, Van de Zandschulp defeated Djokovic with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Next, he will face Francisco Cerundolo in the third round.

When Van de Zandschulp experienced the best moment of his career, the opposite occurred for Djokovic. The defeat marked his third consecutive loss following the Australian Open Grand Slam semifinal (against Alexander Zverev) and the first round of ATP 500 Doha (Matteo Berrettini).

Not only that, the loss to Van de Zandschulp was Djokovic's second consecutive loss to a lucky loser at Indian Wells. In 2024, he was eliminated by another lucky loser, Luca Nardi, in the third round.

As their designation suggests, Van de Zandschulp and Nardi are tennis players who were able to compete in the main round due to luck. They were actually eliminated in the qualification phase but ultimately got the chance to compete in the main round as replacements for players who withdrew.

In contrast, Djokovic has always been a seed in the last two years, although this year he is only seeded sixth, down from the top seed in 2024. In addition, as one of 32 seeds, Djokovic received a bye in the first round.

The former world number one tennis player with 24 Grand Slam titles still has high ambitions despite competing in the professional arena for 22 years. To become the sole tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles—currently, Djokovic holds 24 titles, the same as Margaret Court—he has included his former rival, Andy Murray, in his coaching team to assist him.

A lot of different things happened to me in the last few years. I struggled to play at the level I wanted to.

However, declining physical fitness in matches is inevitable when Djokovic is 37 years and 10 months old. He often struggles to face younger opponents, especially on hard courts with a best-of-three-sets scoring system that takes place at a fast pace.

The best-of-three sets match is different from the Grand Slams which enforce the best-of-five sets for men's singles. Although Djokovic has not added a title since winning the 2023 US Open, he has reached the semifinals of three of his next five Grand Slams. He also appeared in the 2024 Wimbledon final, losing to Carlos Alcaraz.

Best of five sets, which requires players to win three sets out of a maximum of five, does require greater physical endurance. However, it is not only physical that plays a role. To win in a long match, players are required to have a strong mentality.

That factor is what makes Djokovic superior and has led him to the final rounds of the Grand Slam stage. When playing against Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January, he survived and won despite a left hamstring injury. An MRI, after retiring against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, revealed that he had a tear in his leg.

However, the Serb has struggled when competing on the shorter ATP Tour. “A lot of different things have happened to me in the last few years. I struggled to play at the level I wanted to. Every now and then, I play well, but it’s very difficult and challenging to get there,” said Djokovic, who last had a poor start to the season in 2018.

Despite being plagued by injuries, at least in the last year, Djokovic was reluctant to talk about it after his loss in Indian Wells. He said it was normal and he just had to adapt to everything that was going on.

When asked about his preparations for the March 16-30 Miami Masters, the world number seven was not even close to answering in detail. “I have to talk to the team, to Andy (Murray),” he said.

Djokovic has struggled since 2024 at his level without a Grand Slam title. He could still make it to the finals of Grand Slams and ATP Masters, but eventually lost to young stars Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

All of that was erased with the gold medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics which was highly dreamed of since its debut in Beijing 2008. The highest achievement for each athlete from this multi-sport event maintained their spirit to compete in 2025.

However, his high spirits and passion could not be matched by consistent performance. Although Djokovic did not want to talk about obstacles, like it or not, the oldest athlete among the elite tennis players seems to have to prepare for the final moments of his career. (AFP)