Novak Djokovic will try and shake off his Indian Wells third-round upset loss, with the world No. 1 planning to carry on to play starting next week in Miami.
The 24-time grand Slam winner is admittedly trimming his playing schedule at age36 and with hundreds of millions earned.
But the competitive fire still burns in the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
‘Miami is there, so let’s see.” he said of the upcoming date. “I wasn’t enjoying not playing the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami) in the last couple of years. I really wanted to play.
“I really wanted to come (this year) and I really enjoy being both in Indian Wells and Miami.”
Djokovic went down to No. 123 Luca Nardi 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to make an early exit from the event he has won five times.
“He got in as a Lucky Loser to the main draw, so he really didn’t have anything to lose – so he played great,” Djokovic said.
Lucky Luca – Indian Wells lucky loser Luca Nardi after beating Novak Djokovic in third round – by Pete Staples/ATP
“I was more surprised with my level. My level was really, really bad.
“That’s it, these two things come together. He’s having a great day; I’m having a really bad day. Results (are) a negative outcome for me.
“It’s not a great feeling when you drop out very early in the tournament, and especially here,
“I haven’t played (here)in five years. I really wanted to do well. But it wasn’t meant to be. We move on.”