Novak Djokovic said a recent off-day at Indian Wells offered an uncommon break from his on-court rivalries. He described a round of golf with Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev as relaxed and competitive in equal measure.

“It was my first time to play with those guys,” Djokovic explained of a golf outing with Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. “It was fun, a lot of laughter, a lot of mind games. But it was good.” He acknowledged the gap between his tennis and his golfing ability. “I don’t play as much as I used to,” Djokovic said, adding a wry observation about Alcaraz’s power. “I show up and the guy rips a 300-yard drive, par five, and he’s going for his eagle. I’m like, ‘Is there anything you’re not good at, man?’ What’s going on here, it’s like raw power. He loves his golf.

“It was nice to spend time with these guys. We’re all big rivals but it’s nice we get along well, can play other sports and spend some good time off the court.”

Djokovic reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open after a three-set victory over Aleksandar Kovacovic, an American with Serbian roots. He enters the next phase of the tournament as the No. 3 seed and will next face defending champion Jack Draper.

Away from the tour, Djokovic has taken in other winter sports following a February trip to watch the Winter Olympics in Milan. “We’re currently living in Athens, in Greece, and there’s not much ice there,” joked Djokovic, whose 8-year-old daughter Tara has expressed interest in figure skating. “I was really blown away by how inspired she was and by watching the great athletes on that rink live for the first time. It’s a beautiful sport to watch on TV, but in person, it’s incredible.”

On his preparation, Djokovic said he relies on technology and daily routines to maintain form and manage recovery. Though he joked the biggest gift would be “getting back the years,” he stressed the pragmatic demands of the draw. “I’m trying to manage my body, my mental state on a daily basis so I can be peaking as much as I possibly can. There’s a challenge, an obstacle across the net of who you get to play, and that’s not going to get easier from here. The opponents are only going to get tougher,” he said.

Joao Fonseca continued a breakthrough week at the Masters 1000 event, recording a straight-sets victory over Tommy Paul to reach the fourth round. The 19-year-old Brazilian produced a commanding performance on Sunday, winning 6-2, 6-3 and moving into the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career.

Fonseca’s run at the tournament has been defined by grit and an ability to raise his level against established opponents. On Saturday he survived what was among his toughest matches of the week, coming back from double match point down at 6-4 in the second-set tiebreak to beat Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4. Less than 24 hours later he cut through Paul’s game with cleaner ball striking and aggressive court positioning to close out the victory in two sets.

Those consecutive wins underline a broader trend in Fonseca’s results against top opposition. The Brazilian teenager has now won seven of his last eight matches against Top 30 players since last September.

JOAO FONSECA VS TOP 30 PLAYERS SINCE ’25 US OPEN: 7-1

Reaching the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 event represents a milestone for Fonseca and reflects steady progress on the tour. His recent sequence of results — including the comeback over Khachanov and the decisive victory against Paul — has reinforced his reputation as a young player capable of competing with higher-ranked opponents on the biggest stages. As the tournament moves on, Fonseca will carry the confidence of his first Masters 1000 last-16 appearance into whatever challenge awaits next.

A decade after sitting courtside and dreaming of big moments, Learner Tien translated that memory into a signature win at his home tournament. Tien defeated No. 8 seed Ben Shelton 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 to reach the Indian Wells fourth round for the first time.

“It means a lot,” Tien told reporters after his 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 win. “The court I played on today, I remember exactly where I was sitting in that same stadium when I was a kid , so it’s really cool, it’s really a full-circle moment for me. Just really special to play here and especially to win here.”

Shelton had earlier skipped the customary press conference following a second-round comeback against Reilly Opelka because he was feeling unwell. Tien acknowledged that condition but also stressed Shelton’s competitiveness. “came out not feeling 100%, but he’s an amazing competitor and he came out and gave it his all.”

On the court, Shelton leveraged his big serve to hold the initiative through much of the first set, but Tien seized the tiebreak by winning the opening three points. The third set featured exchanged holds, with each player saving a break point at the start, before Tien reeled off three straight games from 2-2 to close out the match. The match lasted two hours and 10 minutes and pushed Tien’s head-to-head record against Shelton to 2-0.

The victory continued a recent trend for Tien against higher-ranked opponents; he now has a 6-5 career mark against the game’s top players. He will face No. 18 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the fourth round and arrives with an 0-1 head-to-head deficit as he pursues his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal.

Tien emphasized his match approach regardless of ranking or reputation. “Whether I’m a favorite or whether I’m an underdog, I go out, and I don’t really think about it,” he said. “Rankings and previous matches go out the window. You’re just trying to work through the current match. Whether I’m a favorite or whether I’m not, I just go out there and I just try to compete as hard as I can.”