Long-time rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are all set to be part of the same draw for the first time since January 2022 in the Australian Open, as the date of their reunion was confirmed after Indian Wells announced a star-studded lineup comprising former champions and rising stars as part of the player field. The 2024 BNP Paribas Open will be held between March 3 and 17 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
After a gap of five years, world No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will return to Indian Wells, which will be his first tournament since a semifinal loss against Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open last month. The Serb won the Indian Wells title five times in his career – 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016 – and owns a tournament record of 20 straight victories, which included title runs between 2014 and 2016. He last appeared in the Masters 1000 event in 2019, where he had suffered a third-round exit.
Nadal, on the other hand, has confirmed his return to Indian Wells after having missed the 2023 edition. The three-time champion (2007, 2009, 2013) is looking for a second comeback in 2024 after incurring a fresh hip injury during his Brisbane International run, which subsequently forced him to pull out of the Australian Open.
Other top names in the 2024 edition of the tournament will include 2024 Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner, 2023 Indian Wells runner-up Daniil Medvedev, as well others in the ATP Top 10, including Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Three-time Slam winner Andy Murray will also be making his 16th appearance in the tournament.
Swiatek, Sabalenka, Rybakina headline WTA field
World No.1 Iga Swiatek, World No.2 and reigning Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka and defending Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina are part of the WTA field. Swiatek will be aiming for her second career Indian Wells title (2022) after having reached the semifinals last year, while Sabalenka, who had lost to Rybakina in the 2023 final, will remain in search for her mainden title in Tennis Paradise.
The top two Americans, World No.3 Coco Gauff and World No.4 Jessica Pegula will be aiming to become the first American WTA champion in almost two decades. Gauff, the reigning US Open champion, had made the quarters last year in what was her best show at the event while Pegula had reached the last 8 in 2021.