Djokovic, ranked seventh in the world, hopes to play both Indian Wells and Miami for the first time in six years.

The carrot is the chance of creating more history - at each event - by becoming the outright holder of the most men's titles.

Djokovic has won a joint-record five Indian Wells titles alongside Roger Federer, while in Miami he has won six titles - a record shared with Andre Agassi.

The former world number one has not won either tournament since 2016.

The two events were not held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, while Djokovic pulled out when they returned in 2021.

In 2022 and 2023, Djokovic was unable to play because he was not allowed into the United States unvaccinated.

The former world number one made his Indian Wells return last year, suffering a shock defeat by Italian lucky loser Luca Nardi, before deciding to miss the Miami Open for "personal and professional" scheduling reasons.