Marcos survived a late start in earning a first round victory over Czech rising star Jiri Vesely at the BNP Paribas Open.
In his eighth trip to Indian Wells in the last 10 years, Marcos moved into the second round after Vesely retired due to illness trailing 6-3, 1-1. The match, which did not get underway until after 10:00pm following a late-finishing day session at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, lasted 49 minutes.
"I feel I moved very well in the first set, but it's not the way you want to win a match," Marcos said. "I played well and was very solid. That was the key to win the first set."
Marcos sets up a highly-anticipated clash against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Saturday. He trails 0-7 in their head-to-head, which spans eight years, but anticipates a good match.
"It's going to show me where I am. I'm pretty excited about that because it's been a long time since I played against a player in the Top 4. I'm very excited about that, that's for sure."
Marcos' most memorable meeting against Djokovic came in a tight five-hour 7-6(4), 7-6(9), 6-7(3), 4-6, 7-5 defeat at Wimbledon in 2007. Their most recent encounter was three years ago in the Miami second round.
Marcos will be seeking to advance to the third round in Indian Wells for the fifth time, with his best result coming on debut in 2006, in reaching the quarter-finals.
