Novak Djokovic marked his return to the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with a hard-fought victory over Aleksandar Vukic, winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. This win also made Djokovic only the second player, alongside Rafael Nadal, to achieve 400 victories in ATP Masters 1000 series events. The top-ranked Djokovic, a five-time champion at Indian Wells, had not competed in the tournament since 2019.
On the women's side, Coco Gauff faced a tough challenge in her opening match, falling behind 4-0 and 5-2 in the third set before rallying to defeat Clara Burel 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Gauff, the U.S. Open women's champion, advanced to the next round to face Lucia Bronzetti after her narrow victory.
