Nardi, ranked 123rd in the world, played superbly to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 as Djokovic's return to Indian Wells ended in a stunning third round exit.

World number one Djokovic, who had not played since losing an Australian Open semi-final to Jannik Sinner on January 26, is chasing a sixth title at the desert venue in the season's first Masters event.

For any other player but Novak Djokovic, a below-par Australian Open at the age of 36 would have had pundits brushing up his tennis obituary. Djokovic, of course, is no ordinary player.

Rafael Nadal on Wednesday hailed longtime rival Novak Djokovic as the best player in the history of the sport.

Naomi Osaka said she had taken a leaf out of Novak Djokovic's tactical playbook and tweaked her return game at the Qatar Open after the former women's world number one earned back-to-back wins for the first time in almost two years.

Patience is a virtue that Sinner does possess, and eventually that paid off.

Jannik Sinner ended defending champion Novak Djokovic's bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title on Friday, snapping the Serb's astonishing 33-match winning run at Melbourne Park to reach his first major final.

The Italian ended the Serb's record 33-match winning run at Melbourne Park.

Novak Djokovic said he felt "trapped" in the heat during his battling quarter-final win against Taylor Fritz on Tuesday, which left him on track for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.

The 36-year-old defending champion had beaten Fritz in all eight of their previous meetings, including a five-sets win at Melbourne Park in 2021 and a crushing victory at the U.S. Open last yea

Novak Djokovic marked a rare daytime appearance at the Australian Open with a dominant victory over Adrian Mannarino on Sunday as the 10-times champion flirted with a 'triple bagel' before sealing a 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 win to reach the quarter-finals.

Tennis great Rod Laver suggested Saturday that engravers could start putting Novak Djokovic's initials on the Australian Open trophy, with something "miraculous" needed to prevent him winning an 11th title.

Novak Djokovic has opened up on how he riled Roger Federer when he broke onto the scene as a cocky upstart but said it only fired up his quest to become the best player in the world.

The world number one, who swears by a plant-based diet, extols the virtues of meditation and has previously used a spiritual guru, has never been shy of talking about his eccentricities.

Novak Djokovic survived a huge scare to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, beating home favourite Alexei Popyrin to stay on track for a historic 25th Grand Slam title.

Novak Djokovic has opened up about his special connection with Virat Kohli and said that he has been in constant touch with the Indian cricket star through text messages.

The popular American former world number one, himself widely considered among the best the sport has seen, also had lavish praise for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

World number one Djokovic is gunning for his 11th Australian Open title and 25th major, which would take him clear of Margaret Court on the all-time list.

"It's an extra motivation for me," the two-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz said on Saturday

"Botanical Gardens just nearby, it's a wonderful park where I like to spend time and just be by myself in nature, just grounding, hugging trees."