Everything you need to know about Indian Wells including Brits in action and the return of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal; watch over 80 tournaments a year, including the US Open, exclusively live on Sky Sports Tennis
Here’s everything you need to know about Indian Wells, including the draw, who’s playing, the Brits in action and the schedule. You can watch all the drama unfold live on Sky Sports.
Live coverage from the opening round of the BNP Paribas Open gets under way on Wednesday from 6.30pm, with a triple-bill of Brits in action live on Sky Sports Tennis.
Jack Draper kicks things off when he faces Christopher O’Connell from 7pm, while Katie Boulter – fresh from her victory in last week’s San Diego Open – is due on court at 9pm for her match against Camila Giorgi, with Andy Murray to follow from approximately 11pm as he takes on David Goffin.
Who have the Brits been drawn against?
In the men’s draw, Murray has a clash with No 5 seed Andrey Rublev on the horizon if he wins his first-round match against qualifier Goffin on Wednesday.
Dan Evans plays Roman Safiullin on Thursday, with No 29 seed Sebastian Korda lying in wait should he progress. Draper, meanwhile, will face No 6 seed Alexander Zverev if he overcomes O’Connell on Wednesday.
British men’s No 1 Cameron Norrie will take on either Lorenzo Sonego or Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round after receiving a bye due to being seeded No 28.
In the women’s draw, Emma Raducanu opens her tournament against Spanish qualifier Rebeka Masarova on Thursday, having been handed a wild card as she continues her return to the tour after an eight-month injury lay-off.
British women’s No 1 Boulter plays Italy’s Giorgi in the first round, with the winner of Wednesday’s match up against No 26 seed Linda Noskova next.
What other big names are in action?
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal get set to return to action at Indian Wells, while Australian Open champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka will also be in action in ‘Tennis Paradise’.
Nadal is the only one who will feature in the first round, the Spaniard drawn against former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic in a tricky opening match on Thursday.
Nadal, a three-time winner at Indian Wells, will face No 7 seed Holger Rune in the second round should he make it through. The 37-year-old is making only his second appearance of the year, with a muscle tear forcing him to miss the Australian Open.
Carlos Alcaraz, who won the men’s tournament last year, enters at the second-round stage, along with Djokovic and Sinner, as does women’s defending champion Elena Rybakina and No 1 seed Iga Swiatek.
No 6 seed Ons Jabeur also starts in the second round where she could be set to face Russian 16-year-old star Mirra Andreeva, who humiliated her 6-0 6-2 at the Australian Open.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova and 2021 Indian Wells winner Paula Badosa are wild cards, along with Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki.
The 43-year-old Williams kicks off her tournament against Japan’s Nao Hibino on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 2am early on Thursday morning. The winner will face No 29 seed Veronika Kudermetova in the second round.
What’s the schedule? You can catch all the action on Sky Sports Tennis
Wednesday, March 6 – Men’s and women’s singles first round
Thursday, March 7 – Men’s and women’s singles first round
Friday, March 8 – Men’s and women’s singles second round
Saturday, March 9 – Men’s and women’s singles second round
Sunday, March 10 – Men’s and women’s singles third round
Monday, March 11 – Men’s and women’s singles third round
Tuesday, March 12 – Men’s and women’s singles fourth round
Wednesday, March 13 – Men’s and women’s singles fourth round
Thursday, March 14 – Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
Friday, March 15 – Women’s singles semi-finals, men’s doubles final
Saturday, March 16 – Men’s singles semi-finals, women’s doubles final
Sunday, March 17 – Men’s and women’s singles finals
Where is Indian Wells?
Having played host to the tournament every year since its opening in 1974, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is located near Palm Springs, California, in the Coachella Valley.
Alongside its 16,100-capacity centre court – the second largest tennis-specific stadium in the world – the complex also boasts 29 hard-courts.
Who are the reigning champions?
Men’s singles – Carlos Alcaraz
Women’s singles – Elena Rybakina
Men’s doubles – Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden
Women’s doubles – Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova
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