Novak Djokovic has finally confirmed his decision on playing at the upcoming Indian Wells Masters, which gets underway this week. The veteran Serb has only played one tournament so far this season but made it count by reaching the final of the Australian Open. He registered an impressive victory over Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals before being beaten by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic followed up by skipping the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships in order to recover from his taxing campaign in Melbourne. He has made a habit of missing non-Grand Slam events in recent years, opting to preserve his body for the very biggest tournaments. However, the 38-year-old has now confirmed that he will be returning to competitive action at Indian Wells.

He has added the ATP 1000 event to his schedule, as seen on his official website. Djokovic boasts an incredible record at the tournament, having won it on five occasions, but it hasn't been a happy hunting ground for him in recent times.

He was dumped out in the second and third rounds in his last two appearances at Indian Wells and hasn't lifted the trophy since 2016, but will have high hopes of claiming a sixth title after his strong run at the Australian Open.

Djokovic has been preparing for the tournament by training at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) over the last few days. He also spent time with the university's American football team, observing their training sessions and speaking to the players.

Afterwards, he said: "As an individual athlete, one of the things I really miss is the team spirit that you build and maintain here every day. I see how much you enjoy supporting each other, encouraging each other, and fostering that spirit.

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"It can only benefit you as a team, individually, as a coach, the entire community, and, of course, the university you are a part of. So now is the time.

"Now is the time because 10 per cent of life happens to us, and 90 per cent of life is about reacting to what happens to us. So I wish you the best of luck, I wish you the best team in the NCAA next year, and I will be cheering you on."

Djokovic will enter Indian Wells as the third seed, meaning he will avoid facing Sinner and Alcaraz until the semi-finals.

A strong campaign will add to his positive momentum ahead of the next Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros, which is scheduled for May. Given his history of skipping lesser tournaments, it seems unlikely that he will play many more between now and then.

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