The World No 2 beat Swiss Roger Federer in a three-set thriller of the Indian Wells Masters.
Novak Djokovic defeated Federer with 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) to reclaim the title for the third time after winning in 2008 and 2011.
Djokovic said that there were certain doubts in his mind as he did not win title recently . He had ups and downs in his concentration in opening rounds, but still managed to stay mentally strong and had self-belief. This is what makes the title very special to him.
Had Federer, 32, won the title, he would have been the oldest Masters 1000 winner after Andre Agassi won at Cincinnati in 2004 while he was 34.
This was the 33rd meeting between Federer and Djokovic and Federer still leads the clash by 17-16. This time Djokovic made even for his last loss in the Dubai semi-finals to Federer.
After earning his a title in Dubai and reaching the Indian Wells final, Federer’s rank will rise from eighth to fifth in the world. But Djokovic will still remain World No. 2 in ATP Tour rankings.
In women’s category, Italy’s Plavia Pennetta who had defeated top seeded Li Na of China, this time defeated world No 3 Agnieszka Radwanska as well with 6-2 6-1 to claim the WTA crown of Indian Wells. At 32 years old, she became the oldest winner of the tournament.