Scouting Report: Medvedev & Nadal Headline Stacked Indian Wells Field

The ATP Tour heads to Indian Wells for the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season at the BNP Paribas Open.

Daniil Medvedev will lead the field as the new World No. 1, with 19 of the Top 20 players in the ATP Rankings in action in the hard-court event. Rafael Nadal will look to extend his perfect 15-0 start to the season, while Stefanos Tsitsipas will be seeking his first title of the year.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch this week.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📻 Listen On ATP Tennis Radio
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

1) BNP Paribas Open Returns To March: For the first time since 2019, the BNP Paribas Open will take place in the tournament’s regular March slot in the ATP Tour calendar. The Masters 1000 event was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, before it was moved to October last season, also because of the pandemic. The hard-court event, which takes place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, has been named the ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year in the ATP Awards a record seven times, receiving the honour once again in 2021.

2) New World No. 1 Medvedev: After climbing to the top of the ATP Rankings last month, Medvedev will compete as the World No. 1 for the first time in Indian Wells. The 26-year-old will be aiming to win the fifth Masters 1000 trophy. However, Medvedev has never been beyond the fourth round in four previous appearances at the event. He will look to change that in the next two weeks.

3) Nadal Perfect In 2022: Nadal has reminded everyone what he is capable of in the early weeks of 2022, clinching trophies at the Melbourne Summer Set, Australian Open and the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. The 21-time major champion is 15-0 on the season and has fond memories in Indian Wells, where he triumphed in 2007, 2009 and 2013.

4) Rublev On Fire: Andrey Rublev arrives in Indian Wells off the back of a dream February, when he captured back-to-back titles in Marseille and Dubai. The World No. 6, who has won his past nine matches, reached the third round in California last season. The 24-year-old has won five ATP 500 crowns, but will be targeting his first Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells.

5) Berrettini, Tsitsipas & Zverev Seeking First Trophy Of 2022: Top 10 stars Matteo Berrettini, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev are all aiming to win their first title of the season in Indian Wells. Berrettini reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open, while Tsitsipas advanced to the final in Rotterdam. Zverev’s best performance of the year was a run to the championship match in Montpellier.

Tsitsipas and Zverev recorded quarter-final showings in Indian Wells last year, while Berrettini lost in the third round.

6) Kyrgios & Murray Receive Wild Cards: Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray will both be in action after receiving wild cards. Kyrgios soared to the Australian Open men’s doubles crown with Thanasi Kokkinakis and will make his fifth appearance in Indian Wells, with his highlight a quarter-final run in 2017.

Murray’s best result in the California desert came in 2009 when he advanced to the final. The Scot, who defeated #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells last year, reached the championship match in Sydney at the start of the season.

7) Reigning Champion Norrie: Cameron Norrie broke new ground when he clinched his first Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells last October. That victory helped him earn an alternate spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he played two matches.

The World No. 12 defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili in last year’s Indian Wells final to become the first British champion in the tournament’s 45-year history. Norrie has already tasted success in 2022, lifting the trophy in Delray Beach. The 26-year-old arrives at the BNP Paribas Open chasing more success on American soil.

8) #NextGenATP Stars In Action: Carlos Alcaraz, Lorenzo Musetti and Jannik Sinner will look to continue to make their mark on Tour in Indian Wells. Alcaraz became the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009 when he triumphed in Rio de Janeiro in February, while Sinner earned an impressive four tour-level titles in 2021. Musetti is still seeking his maiden tour-level trophy, but reached the quarter-finals in Pune and Rotterdam this season. All three are making their second appearance in Indian Wells.

9) Home Favourites To Watch: Home supporters in Indian Wells will need to be on high alert with 13 Americans (not including qualifiers) in the draw. World No. 20 Taylor Fritz will lead the charge, with Jenson Brooksby, Sebastian Korda and Brandon Nakashima exciting young talents to watch.

Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey and Jack Sock received wild cards, while Maxime Cressy will look to build on his strong start to the season following his run to the final at the Melbourne Summer Set. Toronto finalist Reilly Opelka will also be dangerous with his thunderous serve as he aims to go one step further in Indian Wells than he did at the Canadian Masters 1000 tournament.

Marcos Giron, John Isner, Mackenzie McDonald, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe make up the American contingent.

10) Mektic/Pavic Lead Doubles Draw: Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic will headline the field in the doubles draw, looking to clinch their first title of the season. The Croatians will face stiff competition from Toronto titlists Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, four-time Masters 1000 victors Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos and reigning Indian Wells champions John Peers and Filip Polasek. Singles stars Alcaraz and Pablo Carreno Busta will team, with Australian Open champions Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis also in action.