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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

The post ATP pro claims Novak Djokovic deserves ‘credit’ amid Andy Murray partnership appeared first on Tennis365.

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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Jessica Pegula’s ‘kindness and generosity’ praised after private jet gesture

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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

The post Emma Raducanu: Meet the world No 52 facing Brit in Indian Wells Round 1 appeared first on Tennis365.

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.

The post Jessica Pegula’s ‘kindness and generosity’ praised after private jet gesture appeared first on Tennis365.

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

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic’s biggest threat is no longer on the court claims leading tennis voice

The post Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz could face Indian Wells showdown after epic draw appeared first on Tennis365.

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

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu handed a chance to reclaim No 1 ranking in crucial month

The post Emma Raducanu gets nightmare Indian Wells draw Coco Gauff and Madison Keys are on collision course appeared first on Tennis365.

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.

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic’s biggest threat is no longer on the court claims leading tennis voice

The post Carlos Alcaraz hailed as ‘Indian Wells favourite’ as one big rival is tipped to banish his demons appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka have both been nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards just days after it was confirmed that Jannik Sinner had been removed from contention.

The Laureus Awards are among the most prestigious accolades within sport, and the ceremony will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a star-studded ceremony in Madrid on April 21st.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz and current WTA world No 1 Sabalenka will be among those contesting the Sportsman of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year prizes, respectively.

Alcaraz has been nominated following a year which has seen the Spaniard win his first French Open title and successfully defend his Wimbledon title, before claiming Olympic silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The 21-year-old faces stiff competition from swimmer Leon Marchand, pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, cyclist Tadej Pogacar, and Formula 1 star Max Verstappen.

Sabalenka’s nomination comes after winning both the Australian Open and US Open titles in 2024 and ending a WTA season as the year-end world No 1 for the first time.

The Belarusian is nominated alongside legendary gymnast Simone Biles, footballer and 2024 winner Aitana Bonmati, and athletics stars Sifan Hassan, Faith Kipyegon, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

There is also recognition for wheelchair tennis star Tokito Oda, who has been nominated for the World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award.

However, one notable absentee is Sinner, who matches Alcaraz by winning two Grand Slam titles in 2024, finishing the year with a dominant lead as the world No 1.

Laureus announced in a statement last week that the 23-year-old, who won a second Australian Open title in January, had been removed from the initial shortlist due to his three-month doping suspension.

“Following discussions by the Laureus Academy it has been decided that Jannik Sinner’s nomination for this year’s Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award is to be withdrawn,” Chairman Sean Fitzpatrick said in a statement.

“We have followed this case, the decisions of the relevant global bodies and – whilst we note the extenuating circumstances involved – feel that the three-month ban renders the nomination ineligible. Jannik and his team have been informed.”

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Tennis success at Laureus

Should Alcaraz, Sabalenka, or Oda triumph, they will join an esteemed list of tennis players to triumph at the Laureus Awards.

Tennis is the most successful sport in the Sportsman of the Year category, with the most wins (12) and most nominations (22) of any sport.

Roger Federer (2005-8, 2018), and Novak Djokovic (2012, 2015-16, 2019, 2024) hold the joint-record for most wins with five triumphs apiece, while Rafael Nadal won in 2011 and 2021.

Serena Williams holds the record for most wins in the Sportswoman of the Year category, triumphing in 2003, 2010, 2016, and 2018.

Jennifer Capriati (2002), Justine Henin (2008), and Naomi Osaka (2021) have also triumphed, with a total of seven wins and 26 nominations overall for tennis players in the category.

Oda would follow in the footsteps of Esther Vergeer (2002, 2008) and Diede de Groot (2024) should he prevail.

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The post Carlos Alcaraz & Aryna Sabalenka nominated for award that snubbed Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.

Coco Gauff united with Serena Williams at the Oscars after playing a starring role at Hollywood’s biggest night of the year.

World No 3 and 2023 US Open champion Gauff was among the biggest names gracing the red carpet ahead of the iconic awards ceremony, which saw Anora dominate with five victories.

The 20-year-old wore a custom yellow MiuMiu gown with crystal embroidery for the ceremony and then changed into a yellow and green gown for the famous Vanity Fair After Party, where she shared a photo alongside 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams.

Speaking with Oscars ambassador and interviewer Amelia Dimoldenberg before the ceremony, the US star revealed what it was like getting ready for her evening.

“It was a lot,” joked Gauff. “Hair, make-up, the whole do – I play tennis so I’m not used to this glam, but it’s nice to get dressed for the day.”

She also opened up further about her competitive nature when asked to draw comparisons with the WTA Tour and the Oscars race.

Gauff added: “Definitely [a competitive person], but more like when it comes to on court stuff.

“Off the court, like board games and stuff, of course. UNO, like, I get a lot of fights for that, but with this [the ceremony], I’m just here for the vibes, just enjoying it, and just trying to take it all in.”

Fellow tennis star Williams was not the only famous face that Gauff was pictured with during the event in Los Angeles.

Gauff’s mum, Candi, shared a picture with herself, her daughter, and acting great Samuel L. Jackson – a former nominee and 2025 award presenter – from backstage.

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Candi also shared a photo of herself with former host and Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg, who presented an award alongside Oprah Winfrey on Sunday.

Who were the big winners at the Oscars?

Gauff may have been among those starring on the red carpet, though attention turned quickly to who would pick up the golden statuettes at the 97th Academy Awards.

The biggest winner was Anora, with five awards – including a history-making run for Sean Baker.

He became the first person to win four awards for one film, claiming the Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture prizes.

Anora’s big night was capped off by a triumph for Mikey Madison in the Best Actress category.

Elsewhere, Adrien Brody lifted his second Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Brutalist, while Zoe Saldana won Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Perez and Kieran Culkin won Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain.

Outside of Gauff, there was little tennis representation, with Challengers having controversially received no nominations.

Read Next: How many points will Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Emma Raducanu drop in March?

The post Coco Gauff unites with Serena Williams as she stars on Oscars red carpet appeared first on Tennis365.

There was no change in the top five of the WTA Rankings with Aryna Sabalenka still comfortably ahead of second-placed Iga Swiatek while it was a good week for the American trio of Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and McCartney Kessler.

Most of the players inside the top 10 of the rankings didn’t feature in week eight of the WTA Tour as they opted to take a breather ahead of the hectic Sunshine Double in March with the Indian Wells Open starting on 5 March before the Miami Open gets underway a fortnight later.

The top three were unchanged in terms of position and points with Sabalenka sitting on pretty at No 1 on 9,076 points for a healthy 1,091-point advantage over Swiatek while Coco Gauff is another 1,652 points adrift in third place.

Three-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka’s lead is likely to grow at the back-to-back WTA 1000 events in the United States as she is defending less than 200 points while Swiatek will drop more than 1,000.

The Belarusian has now spent 28 weeks at the top and is set to move up to 15th in the all-time list for most weeks at No 1 as Angelique Kerber is ahead of her on 34 weeks.

Pegula and Navarro were the two top-10 players in action last week and they were richly rewarded as they both enjoyed WTA title runs with the former winning the ATX Open while the latter walked away with the WTA 500 Merida Open trophy.

Pegula won her seventh title with a straight-set win over Kessler in Texas, but she remains in fourth place in the WTA Rankings with 5,251 points. Kessler is up eight spots to No 48, one spot below her highest-ever position.

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Navarro has returned to her career-best No 8 following the biggest title of her career as she won her second WTA trophy more than a year after lifting the WTA 250 Hobart International.

There is one more change to the top 10 with Paula Badosa returning to No 10 and Mirra Andreeva dropping to 11th after the Spaniard’s run to the quarter-final in Mexico.

Ekaterina Alexandrova and Yulia Putintseva both move up two places to No 19 and No 20 respectively while Marta Kostyuk dropped five spots to No 24.

British No 1 Katie Boulter started last week at No 26, but she didn’t defend the points she won from her title run at San Diego last year due to injury and, as a result, slipped to No 38.

Grand Slam winners Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka are at No 55 and No 56 respectively.

Emiliana Arango was the beaten finalist in Merida and the Colombian has surged 53 places to a career-high No 80 having come through qualifying to reach her maiden WTA Tour final while 18-year-old Australian Maya Joint is up 18 places to No 85 (a new best) after reaching the last eight.

WTA Rankings Top 20

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 9,076 points
2. Iga Swiatek Poland – 7,985
3. Coco Gauff United States – 6,333
4. Jessica Pegula United States – 5,251
5. Madison Keys United States – 4,679
6. Jasmine Paolini Italy – 4,518
7. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 4,328
8. Emma Navarro United States – 4,009
9. Zheng Qinwen China – 3,780
10. Paula Badosa Spain – 3,746
11. Mirra Andreeva – 3,720
12. Daria Kasatkina – 3,116
13. Diana Shnaider – 2,908
14. Danielle Collins United States – 2,823
15. Karolina Muchova Czech Republic – 2,734
16. Barbora Krejcikova Czech Republic – 2,675
17. Beatriz Hadid Maia Brazil – 2,369
18. Amanda Anisimova United States – 2,326
19. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 2,158
20. Yulia Putintseva Kazakhstan – 2,138

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Carlos Alcaraz will be the favourite to win a third successive Indian Wells titles at the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament, but he may face very different conditions when he arrives in California.

Alcaraz was in sensational form in this tournament last year, as he beat Jannik Sinner in an epic semi-final before seeing off Daniil Medvedev in the final.

He was equally dominant in 2023, as he beat Medvedev in the final once again, but the surface used for those two tournaments will be changed for this year’s edition of the tournament.

While it will still be an outdoor hard court providing a stage for the best male and female players at Indian Wells, the company supplying the court has changed for 2025.

The tournament was previously played on Plexicushion and will now switch to Laykold, with the difference likely to change the pace of the court and maybe even the bounce.

The Laykold courts serve up a lower bounce and a faster surface overall, but the conditions in the California desert will be a factor in how the courts play at Indian Wells.

Laykold is the company that has provided the courts for the US Open in recent years and they were also charged with supplying the courts for last month’s Abu Dhabi Open and the Miami Open later this month.

“Known for its pace precision and consistency, the key markers of a high-performance tennis court and one of the biggest challenges professional events face, Laykold courts deliver 10 x greater consistency than the accepted industry standard,” reads a report on the Laykold website.

“As the official court surface of the US Open for the last 5 years, Laykold has consistently maintained Flushing Meadows’ court pace to within 0.6 of a point, year on year, court to court.

“This unrivalled precision is now being exported across events, elevating playing conditions and allowing the players to be the best they can be.

“This step-up in playing conditions is not the result of a one-size fits all formula.

“Each stop on the elite tennis circuit has its own requirements and identity which need to be upheld and celebrated.

“Famed for following the sun, each of hardcourt tennis’ stops, nonetheless, has its own unique climatic conditions to contend with, from extreme heat to atmospheric dust, humidity and air density.

“To deliver consistent court pace and quality, each surface has to be tailored to the individual tournament.”

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Alcaraz clearly relished the conditions at Indian Wells over the last couple of years, but he should not be hugely concerned by the change of surface.

After all, he confirmed he can be a dominant force on Laykold court in recent years, with his 2022 US Open win confirming he is a threat on any surface.

The Spaniard is heading to Indian Wells in confident mood as he prepares to return to play in the desert for the first leg of the ‘Sunshine Double’ that will conclude with the Miami Open later in March.

“I’m really looking forward to going to Indian Wells already; it’s a place I love to play and love to be at,” said Alcaraz. “I think the last two years have shown how comfortable I am there. Hopefully, this year it happens again.

“We’re going to try to do our best, prepare well these days, this week, to start the tournament strong, and hopefully, we can achieve that milestone of winning three consecutive times. So, let’s see this year.”

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz opens up about ‘letting my feelings go’ after painful Novak Djokvoic defeat

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