There was a time, not so long ago, when Novak Djokovic lost so rarely that it seemed the tennis world wobbled on its axis every time he did, shaking with the shock of it all.

Novak came to Indian Wells following an early defeat in Doha and extended his losing streak, playing way below his best and hoping for a better run in Miami. Botic entered the draw as a lucky loser and booked his place in the last 32 after ousting Nick Kyrgios and Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic's start to the season has been very different from expectations. It is true that the Serbian legend reached the semifinals at the 2025 Australian Open – after achieving a titanic feat against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals – but he had a new injury that forced him to retire during his match against Alexander Zverev.