Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner headline Indian Wells as Nadal returns

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

The world’s top players head to Indian Wells, California for the first ATP Masters 1000 action of the 2024 season at the BNP Paribas Open.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and the in-form Jannik Sinner lead the field as the main draw action takes place from Wednesday 6 through Sunday 17 March.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at 10 things to watch as the first leg of the ‘Sunshine Double’ takes place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

1) Defending Champion Alcaraz: Alcaraz charged to the third of his four Masters 1000 crowns in style last year in 'Tennis Paradise'. The Spaniard did not drop a set en route to the trophy, and he will hope to rediscover that form as he looks to kick-start his 2024 season with his first title since Wimbledon last July.

2) Djokovic Chases Record Sixth Title: The World No. 1 features in the Indian Wells draw for the first time since 2019. Djokovic can pull clear of his fellow five-time champion Roger Federer by claiming the trophy in California, where he holds a 50-9 match record. The Serbian is chasing his first title of 2024 having not competed since reaching the semi-finals at January’s Australian Open.

3) Unbeaten Sinner: The in-form man on the ATP Tour, Sinner arrives in Indian Wells with a 12-0 record on the year. The Italian backed up his Australian Open title run with an ATP 500 crown in Rotterdam last month, a success which extended his tour-level winning streak to 15 matches. Sinner holds a 7-2 record in Tennis Paradise, where he is looking to become the sixth consecutive first-time champion.

4) Rafa Returns: Rafael Nadal made a promising return to the ATP Tour, after nearly 12 months out due to injury, in Brisbane in early January. The former World No. 1 suffered a microtear in his upper left leg in his quarter-final defeat to Jordan Thompson but is fit and ready to go in Indian Wells. A three-time champion in the California desert (2007, 2009, 2013), can Nadal hit the ground running once again?

5) Medvedev To Make Mark?: A year ago, Medvedev extended an early-season winning streak to 19 matches by reaching his maiden Indian Wells final. This year, the World No. 4’s February was marred by struggles with a foot injury, but he returned with a semi-final run in Dubai last week and will hope to find his top level quickly as he chases his seventh Masters 1000 crown.

6) Top 10 Contenders: A host of other Top 10 stars in the PIF ATP Rankings are bidding to lift the trophy for the first time under the California sun. World No. 5 Alexander Zverev (at the United Cup with Team Germany), No. 6 Andrey Rublev (Hong Kong) and No. 10 Alex de Minaur (Acapulco) have already spent time in the winners' circle this season. They will look to repeat that feeling at the season-opening Masters 1000.

World No. 7 Holger Rune is looking to surpass his personal-best third-round 2023 run, while No. 8 Hubert Hurkacz is looking to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ set after his Miami Open presented by Itau triumph in 2021.

7) Former Champion Fritz Leads Home Charge: Taylor Fritz beat Nadal to clinch an emotional victory at his home tournament in 2022, becoming the first American to lift the trophy in Tennis Paradise since Andre Agassi in 2001. The 26-year-old has made a strong start to 2024, reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and winning his seventh ATP Tour crown in Delray Beach, but he will look to bounce quickly from his first-round exit in Acapulco last week.

8) American Depth: As well as Fritz, the home fans will have plenty of top American talent to cheer on in Indian Wells. That includes Top 20 stars Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, while Sebastian Korda, Christopher Eubanks and Marcos Giron all sit inside the Top 50 of the PIF ATP Rankings. Brandon Nakashima, Aleksandar Kovacevic and Patrick Kypson compete as wild cards.

9) Mensik Among #NextGenATP Hopes: Jakub Mensik continued his rapid rise in the PIF ATP Rankings by reaching his maiden ATP Tour final in Doha last month. The 18-year-old Czech will compete as a wild card on his BNP Paribas Open debut, just the fifth tour-level event of the World No. 81's career. There will also be an Indian Wells main-draw debut for 19-year-old American Alex Michelsen, who competed at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah.

10) Doubles: Defending champions Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden lead the field at a Masters 1000 event for the first time, but the top seeds face stiff competition in Indian Wells, including from Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury and Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek. A host of Top 20 singles players are also set to pull double duty — Karen Khachanov partners Rublev, Fritz teams with Jiri Lehecka and a big-serving all-American combo features Eubanks and Shelton.