Novak Djokovic names surprise new doubles partner as Jannik Sinner gets unlucky | Tennis | Sport

The Indian Wells men’s doubles draw is out, and it’s a cracker. One perk of the longer Masters 1000 events is that the extra days off entice some top singles stars to team up and get on the doubles court together. As well as some of the world’s best doubles teams, the likes of Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime have entered the field.

It’s been over a year since Djokovic last played doubles, teaming up with retiring star Fernando Verdasco for his farewell in Doha. And the 24-time Grand Slam champion has found an unlikely partner in Stefanos Tsitsipas, the former world No. 3, whom he has a 12-2 record against in singles.

Djokovic and Tsitsipas might be rivals on the singles court, but they have formed a closer bond in recent months, as the Serbian superstar moved to Athens, Greece, with his family. Within the first few weeks, Tsitsipas invited the world No. 3 out for dinner. Djokovic and his son, Stefan, also watched Tsitsipas in action during a Davis Cup match against Brazil’s Joao Fonseca.

And they will now take their friendship to the next level, joining forces in Indian Wells. Djokovic and Tsitsipas might be experienced singles players, but they’ve been handed a brutal draw in doubles, coming up against No. 3 seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the first round.

They’re not the only ones with a brutal draw. Sinner initially entered the doubles field with Opelka, but their combined ranking was too low to make the cut, and they were set to be alternates. They got a lifeline, receiving a wildcard into the main draw. But the luck ended there, as they must face top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in round one.

Sinner and Opelka have more experience on the doubles court together, winning the title in Atlanta five years ago. And they will revive their partnership in the Californian desert after getting a wildcard.

Other blockbuster partnerships include Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien, who have formed an exciting rivalry over the last 14 months. Young American star Tien has an impressive 3-1 record in singles against former world No. 1 Medvedev, and thrashed him at the Australian Open at the start of the year. But they have always been full of praise for each other, and will now team up in doubles.

They face another exciting pair, cousins Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech, in the first round. The cousins went on an incredible run at last year’s Shanghai Masters. French star Rinderknech beat Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to his biggest final.

Meanwhile, Vacherot was ranked outside the top 200 when he flew to China, and was still a few spots outside of the qualifying draw in Shanghai. But he got in, qualified for the main draw, and went on an incredible run, taking out Djokovic, Holger Rune, and Alexander Bublik before beating his own cousin in the final to be crowned the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history.

World No. 4 Zverev will revive his successful partnership with Marcelo Melo after their recent title win in Acapulco. Good friends Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Arthur Fils have also entered the draw, as have Felix Auger-Aliassime and Sebastian Korda, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev, and Flavio Cobolli and Corentin Moutet.

EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page