Indian Wells
Djokovic on Alcaraz’s 300-yard drive: ‘Is there anything you’re not good at?’
Djokovic, Alcaraz and Zverev played golf together in Indian Wells
March 11, 2026
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Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic joined Alexander Zverev on the golf course in Indian Wells.
By Sam Jacot
Under the desert sun at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the battle lines for the BNP Paribas Open are usually drawn across a tennis court. But this week, three of the sport’s biggest stars traded racquets for clubs.
Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz found themselves competing in a different arena entirely: a nearby golf course in Indian Wells.
“Yesterday was a fun day on the course. It was Zverev, Alcaraz and myself playing some golf,” Djokovic told Tennis Channel with a smile. “That was my first time playing with these guys and it was fun. A lot of laughter, a lot of mind games but it was great.”
For Djokovic, who has conquered nearly every challenge tennis can offer, the golf outing quickly turned into a reminder that elite athletic talent sometimes travels well between sports. Especially when Alcaraz is holding a driver.
“I am OK,” Djokovic said with a grin. “I am behind these guys. I don’t play as much as I used to and practice makes perfect. That is my excuse. The guys are pretty good. I show up and the first hole, the guy [Alcaraz] rips a 300 yard drive, par 5, going for an eagle. And I am like ‘Is there anything you are not good at man, what is going on here’. Just raw power.”
Zverev confirmed that the Spaniard’s long game was no fluke. In fact, he and Alcaraz have been turning the desert into their own friendly golf tour throughout the tournament week.
“Me and Carlos played every day almost, actually. Novak joined us two days ago,” Zverev said after his quarter-final victory against Frances Tiafoe. “Yeah, it was fun. Me and Carlos are very competitive, we’re on a similar level. I’m about an 8 [handicap] or something, and he’s similar to that. So we get quite competitive matches out of it. Then Novak joined us, as well, which was quite fun.”
Alcaraz and Djokovic will turn their attention back to the serious business on Wednesday when they compete in the fourth round at the ATP Masters 1000 event in California. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz takes on Casper Ruud, while Djokovic plays defending champion Jack Draper. The Serbian takes a 1-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead into the match.
Seven-time Masters 1000 champion Zverev is into the quarter-finals and plays Arthur Fils on Thursday.
