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Carlos Alcaraz admits he “didn’t understand” why Indian Wells decided to change the tournament’s courts ahead of this year’s event in the desert.

Indian Wells was famously known for it’s slower hard courts, which has made winning the combined Masters and WTA 1000 event one of the toughest tasks in tennis.

However, just days before the start of the 2025 edition of the tournament, the Indian Wells governing body announced a surprise switch from Plexipave to Laykold.

Laykold surfacing is currently in use at the Miami Open and US Open, which traditionally had faster court speeds than in Indian Wells.

Alcaraz has found himself at home in the desert the past two years, lifting the title in both 2023 and 2024 – beating Daniil Medvedev in both finals.

Speaking ahead of his title defence, the Spaniard still appeared confident about his quest to seal an Indian Wells ‘three-peat’ – but admitted the surprise change was unexpected.

He said: “The court is faster, right?

“I don’t know. Honestly, it’s a change that I didn’t understand when I saw it, it was 25 years the tournament, it was the same court, and then right now has changed. I don’t know the reason why they did it.

“I have to practice on it. I think I consider myself a player who adapt very well his game, you know, on the surfaces and all the conditions that you’re playing on.

“I think I play great tennis anyway, even though the courts are a bit faster. But all I can say is I didn’t understand when I saw it.”

The second seed in Indian Wells, Alcaraz is still widely considered the favourite to lift the title despite the court change.

Should he triumph, he would join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in having won three straight titles at the event.

Djokovic and Alcaraz could meet in the quarter-final of the men’s singles draw, though world No 1 Jannik Sinner is absent amid his three-month suspension.

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Though the Italian also missed the Qatar Open after his doping ban was confirmed, this is the first significant event the world No 1 has found himself unable to play.

Alcaraz defeated Sinner in three sets in the semi-final a year ago, and the two’s rivalry has been a dominant feature on the ATP Tour in recent months.

However, world No 3 Alcaraz admits that Sinner’s absence has not changed his outlook or approach heading into this year’s draw.

“Well, it didn’t change at all,” added the Spaniard.

“I mean, this tournament obviously, I mean, Jannik’s not playing, but a lot of the best players in the world are playing here as well. I think the draw is really open, and a lot of players playing great tennis.

“For me, coming here to approach the tournament, it doesn’t change at all. I’m just focused on my things, on myself, and I try to play good tennis here.”

Having received an opening-round bye, the second seed will face Quentin Halys or qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta in the first match of his title defence.

He could then face 27th seed Denis Shapovalov and 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov before a potential clash against Djokovic.

Alcaraz is projected to face world No 2 and first seed Alexander Zverev in the final.

Read Next: Carlos Alcaraz looks to emulate Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic with rare Indian Wells feat

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Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina walked away with a $200,000 cheque after winning the exhibition Eisenhower Cup, but there could be bigger plans in the pipeline for the two tennis stars.

World No 4 Fritz and 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina have indicated they could play in the US Open mixed doubles competition following their recent success.

The Eisenhower Cup is a mixed doubles charity event that takes place in Indian Wells ahead of the joint-ATP-WTA 1000 tournaments in California.

Eight teams took part in the fast-paced single-elimination draw tournament, which is played to the Tie Break Tens format of first to 10 points.

Fritz and Rybakina – both former singles champions at the Indian Wells Open as the American won the men’s tournament in 2022 while Rybakina lifted the women’s trophy the following year – beat Daniil Medvedev and Amanda Anisimova in their first match.

They followed it up with victory over Eisenhower Cup defending champions Emma Navarro and Ben Shelton and then faced American duo Madison Keys and Tommy Paul in the title match and blew them away with a powerful service display, winning 10-4.

“It’s really special. I’m glad I was lucky to play here. Thanks to my partner of course and everyone who came to watch. It’s a great event. Super happy to be a winner,” Rybakina said.

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Fritz added: “It’s awesome. You come here to try and win it. It was super exciting to play with Elena. She played great.”

With their partnership off to such a great start, could fans see them team up in the new mixed doubles event at the US Open?

Organisers of the hard-court Grand Slam announced recently that the tournament will undergo a major overhaul as it will be played over two days with the early-round matches being best-of-three sets.

Eight teams will earn direct entry via their combined singles ranking while the other eight will come via wildcard entries.

Tennis power couples Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa, and Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter have indicated they will enter.

But those teams will be up against it if the big-serving duo of Fritz and Rybakina enter the draw.

After their Eisenhower Cup success, Fritz said: “I just asked her if she wants to play mixed at the US Open so let’s see. Hopefully, she says yes.

Rybakina replied: “Hopefully, we’ll play.”

And it is easy to see why both are excited about continuing the partnership at Flushing Meadows in August.

“The strategy was to take care of our serves, we are both big servers,” he said. “Before we started, I think I said I think if we both serve well I don’t know how we’re really gonna lose,” Fritz said.

Rybakina continued: “It was really fun and also Taylor was giving me some advice on the returns since the guys are serving was going to be good. It’s not easy to return, but I think we did great today. Yeah, super happy.”

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Five men have won the Indian Wells Open three times or more, but only two men have managed to lift the trophy in three consecutive years at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Unsurprisingly, the two men to win a hat-trick of titles are members of the Big Three with Roger Federer the first to achieve the feat before Novak Djokovic joined him on the list more than a decade later.

The two tennis greats are also joint-record holders for most Indian Wells titles won as they have five trophies each.

Carlos Alcaraz is currently one of 11 men to win two more titles in the first leg of the Sunshine Double and he is aiming to join Federer and Djokovic on the exclusive list of players to win three in a row following his successes in 2023 and 2024.

Asked about possibly achieving the rate feat, the four-time Grand Slam winner stated: “I know that this is something that only two players have done in the history, I think.

“So I’m here to take, I mean, to take that pressure, let’s say. I will try not to think about it. I will try just to enjoy it. Because this tournament, every time that I come here, I enjoy so much, you know, practicing, playing.

“Everything for me here is so easy. So all I’m thinking is to enjoy this tournament. I’m waiting the whole year just to come back here.

“So I will try not to think about it. Just flow and see how it’s going to be, the tournament. But it is something that for me would be great to achieve.”

The Spaniard beat Daniil Medvedev in both finals as he won 6–3, 6–2 in 2023 and followed it up with a 7–6 (7–5), 6–1 title defence last year.

Besides Federer and Djokovic, Jimmy Connors, Michael Chang and Rafael Nadal are the other men to win three titles, but their trophies were not won in consecutive years.

Roscoe Tanner, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Lleyton Hewitt are the others to have won the tournament twice.

The 2 men to win Indian Wells Open hat-tricks:

Roger Federer – 2004-2006

Roscoe Tanner was the first man to win two in a row, but he was denied a hat-trick in 1981 as he lost in the quarter-finals.

So the first hat-trick feat was achieved by Federer with his first title coming in 2004 when he defeated Andre Agassi in the semi-final and Tim Henman in the final.

The following year, Federer didn’t lose a single set en route to the title as he got the better of Hewitt in three sets in the final (it was a best-of-five set final) before he completed his hat-trick with victory over James Blake in the showpiece match.

The Swiss won his fourth title in 2014 and then appeared in three finals in a row from 2017-2019 but only won the 2017 title – beating Stan Wawrinka in the final – while he finished runner-up to Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem in the next two editions.

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Novak Djokovic – 2014-2016

The great Djokovic won his first title in California in 2008 when he defeated Mardy Fish in the final while title No 2 arrived three years later with victory over Rafael Nadal.

His hat-trick run started in 2014 when he beat Federer 3–6, 6–3, 7–6 (7–3) in the best-of-three-set final and he again got the better of his Swiss rival the following year with the match also going the distance.

Djokovic completed his feat in 2016 when he beat Nadal in the semi-final and Milos Raonic in the final.

His unbeaten streak was ended by Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round of the 2017 tournament and, interestingly, he hasn’t reached a final since 2016.

The post Carlos Alcaraz looks to emulate Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic with rare Indian Wells feat appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu has opened up about the stalker nightmare in Dubai, stating she was “could barely breathe” when she spotted the same man who left her a note and took her photograph ahead of her match.

In her first press conference since the incident, Raducanu has admitted that it has affected her daily life although she is determined to continue “doing what I love to do”.

The 2021 US Open winner faced Karolina Muchova in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on 18 February and she noticed the man very early on during the encounter.

After two completed games, a visibly emotional Raducanu went over to the chair umpire to inform the official about the stalker and then went to cower behind the umpire’s chair.

The man was removed by security and Raducanu managed to complete the match with the WTA later issuing a press release that stated “a man who exhibited fixated behaviour” was ejected from the venue.

He has since been handed a restraining order and banned from future tournaments, and Dubai authorities have confirmed that the man “approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships”.

But it was a harrowing experience for the 22-year-old as she revealed to The Athletic: “I was obviously very distraught. I saw him first game of the match, and I was like: ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish.’

“I literally couldn’t see the ball through the tears, I could barely breathe. I was playing Karolina, who’s like top 17 in the world or something, and I can’t see the ball. Then the first four games kind of ran away from me because I was not on the court, to be honest. I’m not really sure how I regrouped.”

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She added: “It was a very emotional time. After the match I did break down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost. There was just so much emotion in the last few weeks of the events happening, and I just needed that week off to take a breather and come here. I feel a lot better.”

After spending the last few weeks back home in England with her parents, Raducanu is ready to step back on court at the Indian Wells Open.

She will get her campaign underway on Thursday against Moyuka Uchijima and she has a defiant message to the man who has caused her a lot of distress.

“There’s a part of you that thinks, ‘I’m not gonna let a middle-aged creep stop me doing what I love to do,’” the world No 55 said. “I’m here because I feel a lot better now.

“A lot happened obviously after Dubai, so I just needed to kind of take my time after. I think the allure of Indian Wells being my favourite tournament, I just couldn’t really step away from it.”

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Novak Djokovic deserves “credit” for hiring the “unbelievable” Andy Murray as his coach, according to British ATP Tour star Jay Clarke.

Former world No 1 Djokovic shocked the tennis world when he announced that Murray, his former rival and a fellow Grand Slam champion, would work with him at the Australian Open.

The Serbian would ultimately reach the last four in Melbourne before retiring in his semi-final due to injury, though that has not brought an end to the Djokovic-Murray partnership.

After working with Fernando Verdasco at the Qatar Open, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has confirmed that Murray will be back his coach for the ‘Sunshine Double’.

Djokovic will be in action in Indian Wells this coming week, before heading to the Miami Open for the first time since 2019.

The 37-year-old’s move to hire one of his greatest rivals is an unusual one, but it is one that deserves praise, according to Clarke.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, the former top-200 player revealed his belief that compatriot Murray would help Djokovic find perspective amid his fitness struggles – and also gain new tactical insight.

“I mean, a lot of things, I guess. Maybe perspective, that, you know, Djokovic is older now,” said Clarke.

“He’s not as fit as maybe five or six years ago, and Andy played the last three or four years of his career with a metal hip. So he wasn’t as fit as well, just finding a way to win.

“I think Andy’s unbelievable tactically as well. That’s probably another element that Djokovic hasn’t, I would say, had in his game.

“And you saw how he was able to beat [Carlos] Alcaraz in four [sets at the Australian Open] after the last few times he played looking like he was the underdog almost in those matches.

“But the fact that he’s been able to add that much already shows how good Andy is, and it also is a credit to Djokovic actually listening to someone like that.”

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Murray is reportedly arriving in Indian Wells to link back up with Djokovic over the coming days, having stayed at home with his family since returning from the Australian Open.

Djokovic holds a joint-record five titles in Indian Wells, though he has not triumphed at the prestigious Masters 1000 event since 2016 and has only played the event once since 2019.

The Serbian returned for the first time in five years in 2024, though he suffered a shock defeat to lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round.

Djokovic is the sixth seed in Indian Wells this year and, much like the Australian Open and Qatar Open, has been drawn in the same quarter as Carlos Alcaraz.

Having received an opening-round bye, the former world No 1 could face Nick Kyrgios in his opening match, before a potential third round versus 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo.

Djokovic is then projected to face ninth seed Alex de Minaur before a hypothetical quarter-final against Alcaraz, the second-seed and two-time defending champion.

Read Next: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz could face Indian Wells showdown after epic draw

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The Indian Wells draw is out, and all eyes are on a potential round two clash between WTA stars Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff.

However, while third seed Gauff has received a bye into the second round, Raducanu must earn her place with an opening-round victory in the desert.

And it won’t be easy for the Brit against world No 52 Moyuka Uchijima, who is three places above the Brit in the WTA Rankings.

Rapid rankings rise

Uchijima is currently at her WTA career-high after an impressive 15 months that has seen her climb over 125 places in the WTA Rankings.

The Japanese made her WTA Tour singles debut in 2022, and while she was unable to qualify for the main draw of a Grand Slam, consistency elsewhere saw her finish the year as the world No 105.

Though she made her Grand Slam main draw debut as a wildcard at the 2023 Australian Open, losing in round one, that season proved challenging for the 23-year-old.

Uchijima fell 76 places to world No 181 by the end of 2023, though she proceeded to soar up the WTA Rankings in 2024.

She was beaten in Australian Open qualifying but won a Grand Slam singles match for the first time at Roland Garros and reached round two of the US Open, alongside making her Wimbledon debut.

Uchijima also represented her country at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and made her WTA 1000 main-draw debut at the Canadian Open, and would later play in both Beijing and Wuhan.

With five titles on the ITF World Tour to her name in 2024, Uchijima had risen to world No 56 by the end of 2024 – a leap of 125 spots from the end of 2023.

The highlight of Uchijima’s 2025 season so far was her run at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she came through qualifying to beat Jelena Ostapenko in round one, before a loss to Elena Rybakina.

2025 has also seen the Japanese reach the second round of the Australian Open for the first time and come through qualifying at the Qatar Open.

She is currently the Japanese No 1, ranked four places ahead of Naomi Osaka.

Doubles success

Uchijima has yet to make a WTA final in singles, but the 23-year-old has found some success in doubles in recent months.

Alongside Guo Hanyu, she won her first WTA title at the Jiangxi Open last November, defeating Katerzyna Piter and Fanny Stollar 7-6(5), 7-6 in the final.

She had reached her first WTA final just two months previously at the Hua Hin Championships partnered with Eudice Chong, falling to Anna Danilina and Irina Kromacheva.

Though she has never won a WTA singles title, she has won 13 singles titles at ITF level since 2019.

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Indian Wells debut

This will be Uchijima’s first-ever appearance in Indian Wells, having never previously played the tournament in singles or doubles.

In contrast, this will be Raducanu’s fifth straight appearance at the prestigious WTA 1000 event in California.

The Brit made her event debut in 2021, shortly after her US Open win, and her best showing to date is a round-four appearance in 2023.

Previous clash

This will not be the first meeting between Uchijima and Raducanu, though it will be their first clash in two-and-a-half years.

They previously faced off at the 2022 Korea Open, with Raducanu picking up a 6-2, 6-4 Japanese victory in Seoul.

Uchijima is much-improved since then, and the close proximity of their respective rankings suggests this could be a tight encounter.

Read Next: Emma Raducanu gets nightmare Indian Wells draw, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys are on collision course

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The singles and doubles finalists of ATX Open were set for a mad scramble from Texas to Indian Wells for their next tournament until Jessice Pegula stepped in and “offered everyone who were playing in the Sunday final to join her on private jet”.

Pegula defeated fellow American McCartney Kessler in the women’s singles final in Austin, winning 7–5, 6–2 to lift her seventh WTA Tour career singles title.

Kessler’s day wasn’t done as she and partner Zhang Shuai then faced Anna Blinkova and Yuan Yue in the doubles final and it was the latter duo who won the trophy as they sealed a 3–6, 6–1, [10–4] victory.

Instead of dashing off to California straight after her showpiece match against Kessler, Pegula stuck around for the doubles final and then made an incredible act of kindness.

The world No 4 offered to fly the other four finalists to Indian Wells on her private jet.

Pegula is one of the richest players in tennis, but not through her sponsorships or $17m in career prize money – although that does help – but through her billionaires parents Terry and Kim Pegula with their net worth estimated to be $7.5 billion.

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The duo own two massive sporting franchises in NFL side the Buffalo Bills and NHL outfit the Buffalo Sabres.

Zhang took to social media to thank the 31-year-old for her kind deed.

“The final day girls discuss how flight to IW, many different ways, some one leave from Austin / Houston/ Dallas, someone might need to transfer at LA in the middle night,” she started off.

“Because it is tough to get a flight after the doubles final. In the meantime, @jpegula offering everyone who were playing in the Sunday final to join her on private jet, you know she can leave right away after her singles final, but she is such a selfless and generous girl

“This message is NOT to show we took the jet, just wanted [to] prove, appreciate and transferring the love ”

The exchange continued on Instagram as Pegula replied with “Shuai you’re too cute lol ” to which Zhang wrote “@jpegula you are such incredible person ”

The players were facing a long trip to Indian Wells with several connected flights and China’s Yue added: “Otherwise, we would all have been on the road for at least nine hours.”

Blinkova also shared the post on her Instagram Story and wrote: “Thank you Jessie for kindness and generosity.”

And in a twist of fate, Kessler and Blinkova will face each other in the first round of the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open on Wednesday and Yuan will face Dayana Yastremska.

Pegula will only be in action on Friday as she has a bye into the second round.

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Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz served up one of the stand-out matches of the tennis year so far and now the two giants of the men’s game could be set for another meeting after a thrilling draw for the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

Djokovic defied the odds to beat his young rival Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January, with the 37-year-old pulling off a masterful tactical performance to be the reigning 21-year-old French Open and Wimbledon champion.

Now Djokovic and Alacarz could be set to renew their rivalry in the Californian desert, but there could be an equally eye-catching encounter lying in wait for the Serbian before that.

After an initially rocky start to their relationship, Djokovic and Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios have developed a strong bond over the last couple of years and the duo could not be on course to play against each other for the first time since their Wimbledon final almost three years ago.

Kyrgios is preparing to play in his first ATP Masters 1000 tournament since he appeared in Cincinnati in 2022 and he will play in Indian Wells after being handed a wild card.

In what could be a repeat of their Australian Open quarter-final, Djokovic and Alcaraz are due to meet in the last eight at Indian Wells.

Prior to that, Djokovic will need to get past Kyrgios, before a potential third round clash against either the in-form pair of Francisco Cerundolo or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Alex de Minaur or Hubert Hurkacz may be Djokovic’s opponent in round four ahead of that possible match against Alcaraz.

Djokovic and Alcaraz are in the opposite half of the draw to Alexander Zverev, who takes the top seeded position in Indian Wells as world No 1 Jannik Sinner is absent as he is serving his suspension from tennis following his failed drug test at this event last year.

Tallon Griekspoor or Miomir Kecmanovic will be Zverev’s first round opponent in his opening match, with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard a possible third round opponent and the in-form Tomas Machac or Frances Tiafoe a possible match-up in the fourth round.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is seeded to take on Zverev in the last eight after his impressive return to form as he won in Dubai last week, with Daniil Medvedev always a dangerous player in Indian Wells also in Zverev’s section of the draw and a potential semi-final opponent.

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“Alcaraz is the defending champion, he’s going for the three-peat. Only Federer and Djokovic have managed that in the history of this tournament, so it’s not going to be easy,” respected broadcaster Marcus Buckland told Tennis365 as he made his Indian Wells predictions.

“He doesn’t quite have that aura at the moment that he built up at the start of his career, as he has been a little more inconsistent of late, but I would have him as my favourite.

“I’ve got a feeling Medvedev is going to have a good tournament. Medvedev has a good record in this tournament. He has made the final at Indian Wells over the last couple of years and tends to thrive in the conditions in Indian Wells.

“It would also be great to see one of the Americans going deep as well. They have six players in the seeded positions right now and Taylor Fritz is the player who could go well here.

“He won Indian Wells a couple of years back, but the question is over where he is with his fitness.

“Another one to look out for is Ben Shelton as he should thrive in these conditions with his big serve and the American crowd behind him.”

Projected men’s quarter-finals:

(1) Zverev vs. (8) Tsitsipas
(4) Ruud vs. (5) Medvedev
(7) Rublev vs. (3) Fritz
(6) Djokovic vs. (2) Alcaraz

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The draw for the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells has been made, with a clash between two recently crowned US Open champions potentially on the agenda for round two.

American favourite Coco Gauff could be set for a clash with Britain’s Emma Raducanu, with the 2021 and 2023 US Open champions in a high quality top half of the draw.

Raducanu will need to come through her opening match against world No 52 Moyuka Uchijima to set up the clash with Gauff, as she looks to match last year’s run to the third round in Indian Wells.

World No 3 Gauff would be favourite to come through against Raducanu, as she was a comfortable winner in their only previous clash at the 2023 Australian Open.

However, she has not been in great form in recent weeks and has been struggling with the service motion that has been a constant concern for her over the last few months.

Ahead of her return to Indian Wells, Gauff enjoyed a night at the Oscars, as she enjoyed being part of the biggest show in Hollywood.

“I’m really happy to be here. I want to be more than just a tennis player, and step into other roles,” said Gauff at The Oscars.

“This part of it, everything is new and outside of my wildest dreams, but I’m taking it, I’m thanking God for it, and I’m just happy to be here.”

If Gauff gets through that match, she will be eyeing up a run to the latter stages of the tournament and she is in line to take on recently crowned Australian Open champion Madison Keys in what would be a blockbuster all-American quarter-final.

Gauff and Keys are in the same half of the draw as world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and she could face one of the USA stars in the semi-final.

The other half of the draw is led by world No 2 and defending Indian Wells champion Iga Swiatek, who will face the winner of Caroline Garcia or Bernarda Pera in her opening match.

Swiatek’s draw looks to be challenging, as she could face former Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur in the third round, while the dangerous Karolina Muchova is a potential fourth round opponent before a possible last eight clash against Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng.

Swiatek is seeded to take on Elena Rybakina or Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals, before a potential clash against her big rival Sabalenka in the final.

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Of course, those possible match-ups are merely based on the seeding of the players in the draw and there are certain to be some upsets in the opening rounds of the tournament.

This is how the ranking points and prize money will be handed out at Indian Wells in the WTA 1000 tournament:

Indian Wells ranking points and prize money
First round: 10 points – $23,760
Second round: 35 points – $35,260
Third round: 65 points – $60,400
Round of 16: 120 points – $103,225
Quarterfinals: 215 points – $189,075
Semifinals: 390 points – $332,160
Finalist: 650 points – $597,890
Champion: 1000 points – $1,124,380

This is how the Indian Wells draw looks, if the seeded players make the progress they hope for:

(1) Sabalenka – (6) Paolini
(3) Gauff – (5) Keys
(7) Rybakina – (4) Pegula
(8) Zheng- (2) Swiatek

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Andrey Rublev appears to be emerging from a troubled few months with fresh optimism and now he has been backed to make his mark in the upcoming Indian Wells Masters by respected broadcaster Marcus Buckland.

The Russian star is heading into the first ATP 1000 tournament of 2025 sitting at No 8 in the ATP Rankings and has bounced back into top form in recent weeks, with his win against Jack Draper in the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Doha last month impressive evidence of his current form.

Rublev has arrived in Indian Wells eager to improve on his recent showings in the Californian desert, where he has lost in the fourth round in 2023 and the third round last year.

His best showing came in 2022 as he lost in the semi-final against eventual champion Taylor Fritz, with Buckland admitting he was wrong to write off Rublev as a contender for the game’s major titles.

“I feel a bit guilty about Rublev as I have accused him of being a ‘flat track bully’ in the past,” former Sky Sports host Buckland told Tennis365.

“He has won a lot of matches in lower-ranked events, which would look great up to a certain point, but then never quite got it done in the big tournaments.

“We know about his record of not getting past quarter-finals in Grand Slams and how he struggles to get the job done at that level.

“It’s clear to all of us how much pain he goes through on court when things start to go wrong, but he was very honest in his comments about how much agony he goes through on court and that changed the perception of how a lot of people viewed Rublev.

“When he went public to explain how much he has been struggling mentally, I have so much respect for his honesty.

“Anyone that has played an individual sport knows that the pressures can be horrendous and after all he has been through, I’d love to see him win Indian Wells and maybe win a Slam in 2025.”

Buckland is also backing Rublev’s compatriot Daniil Medvedev to shine at Indian Wells, as he picked out a couple of American stars to look out for in front of their home fans.

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“After his eccentricities this week, I’ve got a feeling Medvedev is going to have a good tournament,” he continued, referring to Medvedev’s explosive clash with umpire Adel Nour in Dubai last week, when he accused the official of being ‘anti-Russian’.

“Medvedev has a good record in this tournament. He has made the final at Indian Wells over the last couple of years and tends to thrive in the conditions in Indian Wells.

“After a crazy match in Dubai the other day, I think he might have the bit between his teeth now and I would have him as my second favourite.

“It would be great to see one of the Americans going deep as well. They have six players in the seeded positions right now and Taylor Fritz is the player who could go well here.

“He won Indian Wells a couple of years back, but the question is over where he is with his fitness.

“Another one to look out for is Ben Shelton as he should thrive in these conditions with his big serve and the American crowd behind him.”

When picking his favourite for Indian Wells, Buckland can’t look past two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, but he concedes there are some question marks surrounding the 21-year-old Spaniard.

“Alcaraz is the defending champion, he’s going for the three-peat. Only Federer and Djokovic have managed that in the history of this tournament, so it’s not going to be easy,” he added.

“He doesn’t quite have that aura at the moment that he built up at the start of his career, as he has been a little more inconsistent of late, but I would have him as my favourite.”

The Indian Wells Masters get underway on Wednesday, with Tennis365 offering unrivalled coverage of the first ATP 1000 tournament of 2025.

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