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The 2025 BNP Paribas Open, commonly known as Indian Wells, the first of nine Master events is just around the corner. It is set to take place between March 2 to 16, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, USA.
Qualifying rounds will occur from March 2 to 4 and the main draw will begin from March 5. Many of the top players, including the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, five-time champion Novak Djokovic, and the World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, are set to participate in the men's events at the Indian Wells.
Talking about women’s competitions, there are exciting things to watch out for the viewers. The 44-year-old American legend Venus Williams returns to tennis as a wildcard entry in the tournament. Additionally, the former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka who is coming back from the injury is another player to keep an eye on in the tournament. Along with them the current top three players in the world, Aryna Sabaleka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff will also feature at the event. The latest Grand Slam winner Madison Keys will also be seen in action for the first time after her triumph at the Down Under.
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Venue
Indian Wells is a hardcourt event that annually happens in the spring season in the USA. The venue for the event is Indian Wells Tennis Gardens. There are two stadiums at the facility, stadium 1 with a capacity of 16,100 and stadium 2 with 8000. Other than the stadium courts, there are 27 other hardcourts where players can practice and matches can be played.
Players
The 2025 BNP Paribas Open boasts a star-studded lineup including the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. He is the winner of the last two editions where he defeated the former Russian World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the finals on both occasions. But before heading to Indian Wells, the Spaniard will be participating in the Dubai Tennis Championship after his shocking third round defeat against Jiri Lehecka at the Qatar Open. He will be determined to turn some good performances at Dubai and follow the same momentum into the first Masters of the year.
The women’s World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, after starting the season with a title at the Brisbane International and followed by a final appearance at the Australian Open, had a horror of a run in the Middle Eastern swing. She faced early-round exits in both Doha and Dubai, courtesy of young and unseeded players. The 2023 finalist will look to turn the fortunes in her favor and clinch her maiden Indian Wells title.
In the absence of men's World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is serving a three-month suspension for a doping violation, Alexander Zverev will be the top seed at the tournament. The five-time BNP Paribas Open winner, Novak Djokovic will also be among the players to grace the tournament. His last title came in 2016, where he defeated Milos Raonic in the finals 6-2, 6-0. Since then he has played four times but has failed to reach the quarterfinals. It will be fascinating to see how the 37-year-old meets this challenge and attempts to conquer it as he rehabs from his injury.
Top American players competing are Madison Keys, who won the Australian Open this year, along with Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Taylor Fritz. Daniil Medvedev, a two-time finalist, is also among the notable players on the international stage.
Indian Wells Schedule
The competition kicks off with the women's qualifying rounds on March 2, followed by the men's qualifying matches. Main draw action begins on March 5, featuring both men's and women's first-round matches. The tournament progresses through multiple rounds, culminating in the finals on March 16. The day is divided into two sessions: morning and evening sessions. The morning session begins at 11 am local time and the evening at 6 pm local time.
Prize Money
The total prize pool for the tournament is a whopping $8,963,700. The event offers equal prize money for both ATP and WTA players. Let’s look at how the prize pool and points are further divided:
Where to watch
The event will be covered by Tennis Channel for the US watchers. For the UK viewers, they can tune into Sky Sports for the broadcast. TSN is set to serve streaming service for the Canadian audience. Meanwhile, for India, SonyLIV will be the primary option to catch the latest action at Indian Wells.
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