The tennis world has returned to self-anointed “tennis paradise,” as the top ATP and WTA players compete in the first joint 1000-level tournament of the season.
In the absence of the unvaccinated World No.1 Novak Djokovic, US Open Champion Carlos Alcaraz is the top ATP seed, and can regain the No.1 ranking by winning this title. But Danill Medvedev is clearly the hottest player on tour, as he’s claimed three hard court titles in the last three weeks. Sadly, Rafael Nadal, the runner-up here a year ago, is absent due to injury, but defending champion and American No.1 Taylor Fritz is present.
Iga Swiatek is both the defending champion and the World No.1, and will comfortably remain No.1 regardless of this fortnight’s results. She is joined in the WTA draw by 10 other Major singles champions, including newly-crowned Australian Open Champion Aryna Sabalenka. And it also features the three players who have defeated Swiatek this season: Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, and Barbora Krejcikova.
The 32 seeds in each 96-player singles draw receive first round byes. First round matches begin on Wednesday.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
John Isner vs. Brandon Nakashima – Second on Stadium 1
Isner’s first appearance in a Masters 1000 final came at this event 11 years ago, when he lost in straight sets to Roger Federer. John is 26-13 lifetime at Indian Wells, but the 37-year-old is coming off a subpar 2022 season, where he went 23-17. However, Isner did reach a hard court final last month in Dallas.
Nakashima had a much stronger 2022, going 41-26 and winning two titles (San Diego, Next Gen Finals). The 21-year-old broke into the top 50 for the first time in September. Yet Brandon is off to a modest 1-3 start in his 2023, with two of those losses at the hands of fellow American Mackenzie McDonald.
Nakashima is 2-1 against Isner, and all three matches took place during the summer of 2021 on hard courts. Brandon prevailed in Los Cabos and at the US Open, while John won in Atlanta. But based on their 2023 records, I give Isner the slight edge to even their head-to-head.
Jordan Thompson vs. Gael Monfils (PR) – Not Before 6:00pm on Stadium 1
This will be Monfils’ first match since last August, when he retired from a Canada Masters match against Jack Draper after injuring his foot. During the layoff, he and fellow player Elina Svitolina welcomed their first child, Skai Monfils. Gael went 14-7 in 2022, and is 17-12 lifetime at this event.
Thompson is a former top 50 player who has spent much of the past 12 months playing Challenger events. The Australian has won three Challenger titles during that span, including one just a few weeks ago in the United States. He is just 2-4 in the main draw of Indian Wells.
In their first career meeting, it’s hard not to favor Thompson based on Monfils’ lack of match play. However, Gael usually plays his best in front of a lively crowd, and he’ll certainly have one during the first night session of this tournament.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Yibing Wu (WC) vs. Jaume Munar – Just last month in Dallas, Yibing became the first Chinese man to win an ATP title in the Open Era, defeating Isner in a dramatic final after saving four championship points. Munar was a semifinalist just last week on clay in Santiago.
Anna Kalinskaya vs. Alycia Parks – Like Yibing, Parks won her first tour-level title last month, with an impressive victory over Caroline Garcia in Lyon. Kalinskaya has reached the third round or better in both of her appearances in Indian Wells.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
