Novak Djokovic feeling ‘as good as you can feel’ at Indian Wells

After his run to the Australian Open final in January, there were some concerns how Novak Djokovic’s 38-year-old body would recover from such a grueling run. The Serbian tennis star took the last month off and arrived at Indian Wells ready to play his first match in more than a month.

Djokovic said Wednesday at the BNP Paribas Open that his recovery has gone well and that he’s ready to compete for what would be a record sixth title in the California desert.

“I mean, as good as you can feel, but it’s kind of management on a daily basis, really,” the 34-time Grand Slam champion told reporters. “I think my base that was developed and built in the preseason is very good, as good as it has been in the last maybe three, four years.”

Djokovic is known for his elite conditioning and recovery. It’s what many believe has allowed him to play at such a high level late into his 30s.

But even for the most well-conditioned players, the body recovers differently at 38 than, say, 32. And back-to-back five-set matches, like the ones he played in Melbourne, carry a bigger cumulative cost.

Djokovic played the top top-ranked players in the world in Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, in the semifinals and finals. They were incredibly physical matches that came after Djokovic beat

For even the best athletes in the world, there’s naturally a lingering question as to whether the real impact of those matches would show up weeks later.

“He played unbelievable against Sinner in the semis,” said Brad Gilbert, a Tennis Channel analyst and co-host of The Big T podcast. “The last 24 months, everything has started and finished with Alcaraz-Sinner. We keep (looking for) the third guy. It’s still Djokovic.”

Whether that will be the case at Indian Wells is one of the big questions at this year’s BNP Paribas Open.

Djokovic holds the record here for most consecutive matches won, with 18, and won three consecutive titles here during arguably the greatest run by one player in the history of the game (2014-19). So, he had history here in the California desert.

And he’s shown already this year that he can still play at the highest level.

“We saw that in the right conditions, he’s going to be tough,” tennis Hall of Famer and radio broadcaster Mark Woodforde said. “He’s going to push those top guys. It took Alcaraz his best to handle what Djokovic was throwing at him.”

But, again, will his body hold up well enough to do it one more time at Indian Wells?

That will be the question following Djokovic at Indian Wells, even if he plays well early.

“Obviously, the season is long, and you try to adapt as you go along, and there is always something surfacing that you have to address and deal with,” he said. “Thankfully, nothing major that would keep me away from competing in this tournament.

“In contrary, actually. I feel good. I feel good.”

Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Novak Djokovic says he feels good physically at Indian Wells