Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and defending champion Dominic Thiem are set to be the top three seeds when the BNP Paribas Open gets underway next week in Indian Wells. The draw for the first ATP Masters 1000 of the 2019 season will be made Tuesday afternoon at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and main draw action will begin Thursday.
Djokovic is attempting to win this tournament for a record sixth time. Though he made an early exit last year, falling to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round, the World No. 1 returns to the Coachella Valley in top form.
The Serbian has a perfect 18-0 season record, following triumphs at the inaugural ATP Cup, the Australian Open and last week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Nadal, a three-time BNP Paribas Open champion, also enters Indian Wells on a winning streak after recently claiming the ATP 500 title at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. The World No. 2 owns a record 35 Masters 1000 titles, one more than Djokovic, in addition to a record 384 match wins at the Masters 1000 level.
Thiem, who reached a career-high No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on Monday, clinched his first ATP Masters 1000 title here last year as he battled back to defeat five-time champion Roger Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Thiem was one of three first-time Masters 1000 winners in 2019, along with Fabio Fognini (Monte-Carlo) and Daniil Medvedev (Cincinnati, Shanghai).
The 2020 field will feature 19 of the Top 20 players, including Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Matteo Berrettini, Gael Monfils and #NextGenATP Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Monfils, World No. 14 Andrey Rublev and No. 18 Cristian Garin have all won two ATP titles this season.
Here’s all you need to know about the Indian Wells tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more.
Novak Djokovic Makes Meme Out Of Himself With Comic Spider-Man Split Reference
Novak Djokovic turned into a meme after the Dubai Tennis Championships when the Serbian made a sliding return in the round of 32 encounter against Malek Jaziri.
Novak Djokovic has made a meme out of himself following a split while attempting a return shot. Novak Djokovic grabbed attention when he posted an Instagram video of himself stretching to make contact with the ball. The video continued with Novak Djokovic making a split and compared himself to fictitious superhero Spider-Man.
Novak Djokovic meme: Novak Djokovic draws Spider-Man comparison
Novak Djokovic recently won the Dubai Tennis Championship in stylish fashion, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final 6-3, 6-4. However, along with continuing his amazing run of form, Novak Djokovic has been drawing comparisons to Spider-Man due to his elasticity and sleek movements. More so, Novak Djokovic has spectacular agility and quick reflexes that can allow him to reach from one place to another in quick time, similar to Spider-Man.
Novak Djokovic meme: Watch the “Djokovic Spider-Man split”
The ATP have created a hilarious Novak Djokovic meme in which the Serbian managed to stretch for a return and still connect. But following the return, Djokovic did a full split which showed his agility, a trait Spider-Man would have been proud of.
Novak Djokovic meme: No injury for Djoker in “Djokovic Spider-Man split”
The 32-year-old Djokovic was facing Malek Jaziri in his round of 32 encounter of the Dubai Tennis Championship on February 29 and displayed some fantastic athleticism throughout the game. The highlight of the game was when the Serbian treated the UAE crowd to a ‘Djokovic Spider-Man split’. Not only did Novak Djokovic reach the return but he also managed to get up without injuring himself.
Novak Djokovic meme: “Djokovic Spider-Man split” taken in light spirits by Joker
After winning the Australian Open before the Dubai Tennis Championship, Djokovic is arguably in the prime of his career. But the Joker couldn’t resist posting the video on his own Instagram page. Clearly one of the never-ending legendary Djoker antics.
