He’s hit every high there is in tennis, but in the past few months Novak Djokovic has also had to endure some of the lows. They say the only way is down once you reach the top, but the Serbian insisted on Thursday that he is as hungry as ever and determined to fight his way back to the pinnacle of the sport.

Djokovic was seemingly unstoppable as of June 2016. He finally achieved his lifelong dream of winning Roland Garros, completing the career Grand Slam, and had a healthy lead on his closest competitors in the Emirates ATP Rankings. But a shock third-round loss to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon led to a frustrating second half of the season.

By anyone else’s standards, it was still a hugely successful campaign for Djokovic, winning the Toronto crown and finishing runner-up at the US Open and ATP Finals. But the Serbian admitted he was not himself on court as he surrendered the No. 1 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings to Andy Murray at the end of the season.

“I don’t regret things in life,” said Djokovic, who was in a reflective mood at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. “Maybe I should have had a longer break after Roland Garros, to have more time to recharge emotionally in every aspect of my being. It didn’t happen, I kept on going and I don’t regret it because I believe there was a lesson to be learned from that.

“I think having those four or five months in the second half of 2016 was actually very important for me, for my growth as a player and as a human being. I learned a lot. I keep going. I’m obviously motivated to keep playing on a very high level.

“I had a couple of months where I wasn’t myself on the court and now I’m in a better place,” the Belgrade native continued. “I hope and believe that I’m heading in the right direction.”

Djokovic started 2017 on the right note, beating Murray in the Doha final. But despite a second-round exit to Denis Istomin at the Australian Open and defeat to Nick Kyrgios last week in Acapulco, Djokovic is satisfied he has the right feelings again on the tennis court.

“I feel much better in terms of my game, in terms of mental side, than I was some months ago,” said the 29 year old. “Generally, if I see myself with a broader perspective today and comparing myself to the end of last season, I’m a different player. I feel more comfortable, more fresh. I look forward to competing and I feel more confident on the court.

“I had to re-motivate myself and get back on track and I feel like right now it’s much better than it was.”

Recalling an analogy that he made 12 months ago at Indian Wells, where he likened himself to the wolf atop the hill, watching the pack approaching, Djokovic said the tables have turned now. “I’m one of the wolves going up now. I’m hungry. But I’m not the only one.

“If I’m not hungry to have success in this sport, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to the media and playing this tournament. I’ve achieved so much in my career that I’m obviously very content and I could easily stop today and say, ‘it’s been enough’. But I keep going because I have that drive in me still and I have that flair. As long as that’s present, I’ll keep on playing.”

There are few better places for Djokovic to rediscover his top form than the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where he has a 47-6 match record and has lifted the trophy five times. But the draw has done the three-time defending champion no favours. He finds himself in the ‘group of death’ – the bottom quarter of the draw, which also features Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. It’s a challenge the right-hander is embracing.

“I haven’t had too many draws like that,” admitted Djokovic, who starts his bid against either Kyle Edmund or Gastao Elias before a potential third-round clash with Juan Martin del Potro. “It’s quite amazing to see that many quality players in one section of the draw. It is what it is. Obviously Nadal and Federer are just starting to re-build their rankings. We’ll see what happens in the first few days of the tournament and we’ll have some very strong matches. This is probably one of the toughest draws we’ve had.

“It’s a very strong field. This is one of the strongest tournaments we have in the sport. Everyone wants to do well. The draw is something you have to accept and deal with.” 

Forget the stacked bottom half of the BNP Paribas Open singles draw for a second. How about the loaded doubles draw in Indian Wells?

In addition to former champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan and top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, the draw features a plethora of ATP World Tour singles stars. On the top half, three-time defending singles champion Novak Djokovic is pairing with countryman Viktor Troicki. They’ll face Indian Rohan Bopanna and Brasil Open singles champion Pablo Cuevas in the first round.

In the same quarter, World No. 6 Rafael Nadal is partnering with Aussie Bernard Tomic. Nadal/Tomic will meet Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain and Joao Sousa of Portugal in their opener.

On the bottom half, top singles seed Andy Murray will play with fellow Brit Daniel Evans. They will face fifth seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in the first round. Murray/Evans could meet Croatians Marin Cilic and Nikola Mektic in the second round.

World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and No. 13 Grigor Dimitrov should bring plenty of firepower to their first-round contest against Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi, who reached the Delray Beach Open final last month.

Less than three weeks ago, Belgian David Goffin and Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga played against each other during the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. But during the next two weeks, the two Top 15 players will be teammates. They’ll meet sixth seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram, who won the Delray Beach Open doubles title last month.

Tsonga, who won back-to-back singles titles at Rotterdam and Marseille in February, could meet another 2017 singles titlist on the doubles court in Indian Wells. Rio champion Dominic Thiem is partnering with German Philipp Kohlschreiber, whom Thiem beat last year in the Stuttgart final. Thiem/Kohlschrieber face the Zverev brothers – Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev – in the first round.

The most popular team in the doubles draw, though, might be one of the two wild card recipients: Argentine Juan Martin del Potro and Indian Leander Paes. The 43-year-old Paes is going for his 55^th career tour-level doubles title.

Top seeds Herbert/Mahut open against Americans John Isner/Jack Sock, and the second-seeded Bryan brothers face Aussie Nick Kyrgios and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic in the first round.

Read More: Murray, Like Fans, Marvels At Other Side Of Draw

Karen Khachanov claimed his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 victory on Thursday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden as he defeated Tommy Robredo 6-1, 7-5 in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open.

The #NextGenATP star is making his debut in Indian Wells and introduced himself to the Stadium 1 crowd in style, firing 12 aces and rallying from 5-3 down in the second set, saving a set point before prevailing in 73 minutes.

“It feels great. It’s my first time here in Indian Wells. I’ve heard a lot about this tournament and I’m really happy that I could get through to the second round. Today I had to be ready from the first point, concentrate 100 per cent and play my game,” Khachanov said. “It’s a big tournament, but I didn’t even think about it, that it’s my first Masters 1000 win. I’m just going step-by-step through the levels.”

The 20-year-old Khachanov is looking to kick start his 2017 campaign and ended a run of four successive first-round defeats. He next goes on to challenge 11^th seed David Goffin for the first time.

Third seed Stan Wawrinka will open his campaign against Paolo Lorenzi after the Italian dismissed Robin Haase 6-4, 6-3.

Read: Wawrinka Happy With Build Up

American teenager Reilly Opelka was left disappointed as he fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 against German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk. But fellow American Bjorn Fratangelo enjoyed success, cruising past Bernard Tomic 6-2, 6-2 to set a second-round clash with 13^th seed Tomas Berdych.

Amid all the hype surrounding Novak Djokovic’s section of the draw being chock full of former champions at the BNP Paribas Open this week, fourth seed Kei Nishikori finds himself the man in waiting. The Japanese star turns his pursuit of a maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title to the Californian desert and is seeded to meet whoever emerges from that heavy quarter.

Nishikori readily admits there are a mountain of obstacles to overcome before he would even turn his sights to that semi-final clash. And after mixed results on the Latin American clay leading in, he gave himself extra time to settle in ahead of the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event.

“I’m feeling very good,” Nishikori, a quarter-finalist at last year’s event, said. “I had a lot of time after Rio so I was working really hard. I had a couple more days here to adjust to this surface.

“It was a big decision not to play Memphis but I think it was a good experience. The condition was a little bit tough in South America. I thought it was a good two weeks even though I lost first round and lost a final. I hope I can do well here and Miami now.”

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Nishikori believes he is gradually closing the gap on the Big Four’s dominance of the ATP Masters 1000 events. It is as much about mental inroads as technical.

“Those guys have a lot of experience,” he said. “They know how to raise their level in the match and we’ve got to fight for those tough moments.

“I’m working on a bit of everything. Tennis-wise I think my serve, strokes – I’ve still got to make some adjustments and mentally I have to be strong to win big tournaments like this.

“You usually have to play the tough guys second or third match and conditions are not that easy. These two tournaments are 1.5 weeks but you have to play tough opponents almost every day so you have to be really mentally and physically tough. To win the Masters you have to beat maybe Djokovic and Andy and some of those top 10 players.”

The fourth seed would likely meet sixth seed Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals with 14^th seed Lucas Pouille his seeded round of 16 opponent. He will meet either Daniel Evans or Dustin Brown in his first match.

Under sun-kissed skies, Stan Wawrinka has be practising hard for a shot at improving on his performances at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The Swiss star has gotten off to a strong start in 2017 and is hoping to carry the momentum into the desert.

“I’m still trying to work on my game every day and trying to improve, getting results every week,” said Wawrinka, ahead of the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the season. “I’m happy with the first month, with semi-finals in Brisbane and at the Australian Open. I was playing well, after a good off-season. I had some knee problems since then, so I couldn’t play well enough in Dubai, but I think it’s been going well on the practice courts. If I can keep that level the result will come.”

Wawrinka, who opens his campaign against Robin Haase or Paolo Lorenzi, reached the quarter-finals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 2008 (l. to Djokovic) and 2011 (l. to Federer).

 Watch Full Match Replays

With every member of the Big Four – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – performing well, the 31-year-old Wawrinka was hard-pressed to pinpoint a favourite to win the tournament, which features 44 of the Top 50 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“It’s tough to really put one as a favourite, with Roger winning the first Grand Slam of the year, Rafa coming back, Novak not playing quite as good as the past few years and Andy winning the Dubai title. It’ll be interesting to see how the draw goes a little bit. For sure, if Novak can win a few matches, especially with his draw, he’s going to gain a lot of confidence from that.”

Play gets under way on Thursday, with 16 first-round matches from the top half of the draw.

Twelve-time ATP World Tour titlist Tommy Robredo makes his return to the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday in his first match at Indian Wells in two years. Having undergone right elbow surgery last season, the former World No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings arrives in the desert on a protected ranking and will meet #NextGen ATP Russian Karen Khachanov first up on Day 1.

The pair has never met and will open play on Stadium 1, with Robredo looking to overturn an age gap of 14 years to deny the World No. 52. The Spaniard reached the quarter-finals at the BNP Paribas Open in 2010 and 2011.

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#NextGen ATP Americans Frances Tiafoe and Bjorn Fratangelo also begin their 2017 BNP Paribas Open campaigns on Thursday. Tiafoe arrives off a first-round defeat at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco where he extended Juan Martin del Potro to a deciding-set tie-break. He opens against Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic. In the second round last year, Tiafoe held two match points before falling to eventual semi-finalist David Goffin.

Fellow wild card Fratangelo starts against World No. 42 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Bernard Tomic. Last year, Fratangelo extended then-No. 1 Novak Djokovic to three sets in the second round before the Serb went on to clinch the title.

Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov has tasted success in the desert before when he upset then-No. 1 Rafael Nadal en route to the 2014 BNP Paribas Open semi-finals. The 28 year old captured his first ATP World Tour title since 2012 in Buenos Aires two weeks ago and faces a tricky opener against World No. 39 Viktor Troicki. The Serbian leads the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0.

TALKING POINTS

• Novak Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer have won 12 of the last 13 BNP Paribas Open titles. In 2017, however, only one of the former champions could reach the semi-finals after being selected in the same quarter of an ATP draw for the first time ever. Also in the bottom quarter are Nick Kyrgios and del Potro, who both have wins over Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.

• Djokovic enters the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season with five titles and a 17-match winning streak at Indian Wells. He could meet del Potro in the third round on Tuesday, only 13 days removed from their second-round match at Acapulco. Djokovic avenged losses to del Potro in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics by beating the Argentine in three sets at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.

• Nadal is a three-time singles and two-time doubles champion at Indian Wells, and he’s playing both events again this year. The Spaniard will team up with Tomic for the first time. Nadal has already reached singles finals at the Australian Open and Acapulco in 2017. However, the lefty has played six finals and 30 events on hard courts since his last title on the surface at 2014 Doha.

• Federer, a four-time BNP Paribas Open champion, returns to Indian Wells after missing the 2016 event. The Swiss recovered from his knee injury and knocked off Nadal at the Australian Open to became the oldest Grand Slam champion (35) since Ken Rosewall at the 1972 Australian Open and the lowest-ranked major champion (No. 17) since Gaston Gaudio at 2004 Roland Garros.

• Nadal and Federer could meet again in the fourth round on Wednesday, which would be the earliest match in their rivalry since their first encounter in the 2004 Miami third round. The winner may meet Djokovic in the quarter-finals. Nadal’s last meeting with Djokovic was in the 2016 Rome quarter-finals, while Federer has not played the World No. 2 that early since the 2007 Dubai quarter-finals.

• World No. 1 Andy Murray is one of two former finalists in the top half of the draw along with No. 20 seed John Isner. Murray is missing only Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo from his collection of 14 ATP Masters 1000 titles. Now 2,215 points ahead of Djokovic in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Murray has captured 10 titles in 14 finals from the 16 tournaments that he has played since May.

• The 2017 BNP Paribas Open marks the one-year anniversary of #NextGenATP, launched at Indian Wells last year to spotlight the tour’s youngest Top 200 players. Born in 1996 or later, nine #NextGenATP players are in the draw this week, including American teenagers Tiafoe, Stefan Kozlov, Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka. Tiafoe is the highest-ranked of the four at No. 86.

• Seven of the Top 10, 15 of the Top 20 and 31 of the Top 40 singles players in the Emirates ATP Rankings are playing doubles at Indian Wells, including Murray, Djokovic and del Potro. Murray and Djokovic are teaming with countrymen Daniel Evans and Troicki respectively. Del Potro, on the other hand, is paired with 43-year-old Indian Leander Paes, who won the 2007 doubles title.