Novak Djokovic has been told to forget about winning Indian Wells this year (Image: GETTY)
has been warned that he could be upstaged at Indian Wells by a player who ‘disrespected’ him at the two years ago. The veteran Serb will play his first match on Friday, . He has won the tournament on five previous occasions, a record he shares with , but has not lifted the trophy since 2016.
Djokovic has not claimed any titles since landing the gold medal at last summer’s Olympics, having failed to win any ATP events in 2024. He will be desperate to end his trophy drought as quickly as possible, but has been warned that doing so at Indian Wells might be an impossible task.
Chloe Paquet, who reached the third round of the French Open last year, has tipped Ben Shelton to claim the spoils in California instead of Djokovic. She believes the new surface, which is expected to play slightly faster with a higher bounce, will suit aggressive players like Shelton.
Ben Shelton has been tipped to claim the spoils at Djokovic’s expense (Image: PA)
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“I heard they changed a little bit the surface,” Paquet told Express Sport. “It’s faster than last year, so it will be an aggressive player who wins this tournament. For the men, it’s going to be tough. I don’t think Djokovic but let’s say Ben Shelton, maybe.”
Djokovic and Shelton have not always seen eye-to-eye, with a row erupting when they clashed in the semi-finals of the US Open in 2023. The young American had been celebrating his victories by performing a phone gesture, indicating that he was ‘dialled in’.
After he was beaten by Djokovic, the Serb mocked him by copying his celebration before a cold handshake followed at the net. He initially said that he ‘loved’ the gesture but later admitted that he was mocking Shelton, who he accused of lacking ‘respect’.
“It was a reaction against him, on the fact that he did not behave correctly, with respect on the court, and also before the match,” .
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“I’m never going to make fun of someone if they don’t do something first. Every time I lose, I always give my opponent a hug, I congratulate him, I respect him and his team, but if someone places themselves in the unsportsmanlike zone, I react.”
Paquet, meanwhile, was speaking to Express Sport in collaboration with , having joined the platform to offer a behind-the-scenes insight into her life as a professional tennis player.
“I really like the idea of OnlyFans to create a really good environment to connect the fans and the athletes,” she explained. “I want to show a little bit behind the scenes. Everybody watches tennis tournaments but they don’t know exactly what the life is like.
“I want to show a little bit of that for the fans. I’ve been on the platform for one month and I use the chat a lot. I answer a lot of questions and it’s really nice to see all the support I can have on the platform.”