Novak Djokovic made to wait for Jannik Sinner rematch after..

Novak Djokovic is set to play his first regular ATP Tour event of 2024 this week and now he has discovered his fate in the draw for the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Djokovic is playing in this tournament for the first time since 2019, with the Covid pandemic and his decision not to take a vaccine against the virus contributing to his absence in the last couple of years.

Now the world No 1 is back in California and he is keen to bounce back from his defeat against Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals in January.

Sinner backed up his win against Djokovic in Melbourne by winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

He then confirmed his rise up the tennis rankings to No 3 by sealing victory in the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam last month.

Now the tennis world is waiting for the next clash between Djokovic and Sinner, but we will have to be patient for that match-up as the duo were kept apart in the Indian Wells draw.

With Djokovic the top seed in this tournament, he could have been drawn to face Sinner in the semi-finals, assuming both players made it through the extended draw to reach that stage of the competition.

Yet Djokovic will not play Sinner or world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz until the final, as the two young guns are in the bottom half of a draw that has Djokovic at the top.

He could meet Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round and the quality of his opponent will move through the gears as he reaches the later stages of the tournament.

In-form Ugo Humbert could be his opponent in the fourth round, with a quarter-final showdown against Hubert Hurkacz certain to test Djokovic as he admits he never relishes a clash against the big-serving Pole.

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Daniil Medvedev or Holger Rune could be lying in wait for Djokovic in the semi-finals before a potential showdown with Sinner or Alcaraz in the final.

“It has been five years, way too long to not be part of the Tennis Paradise tournament, one of the best tournaments in the world without a doubt,” said Djokovic ahead of his Indian Wells return.

“It’s probably the favourite Masters tournament of so many players including myself. I can’t wait to come and perform once again in front of some of the best tennis fans that we have on the tour.

“The first time I won the title in Indian Wells, it was one of the greatest titles of my career at that point. I remember I played Mardy Fish in the finals.

“I was fortunate to win the tournament another four times and played some epic matches in the finals against (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal and many of the great players in that era. I’m really looking forward to coming back.”