The opening Masters of the season is here! Nadal meets Djokovic and a quarter of a billion in play. Welcome to Indian Wells

The classic March event is here. The elite tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, opens its doors in a few dozen hours. Who will take part in the prestigious event and where did the meeting of world tennis legends Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal take place?

Indian Wells

You won’t find a more popular tennis event besides the Grand Slams. Indian Wells in California hosts the traditional event, which is one of the few to welcome both male and female players.

The endowment of the tournament is almost 300 million crowns and in this respect the tournament with the official name BNP Paribas Open is unrivalled among other Masters events.

Along with the following tennis event in Miami, Indian Wells is among the highlights of the opening part of the season played mostly on hard surfaces. And the participation of players from the ATP circuit will match the significance.

Return by Rafa Nadal

Rafael Nadal will have another shot at a comeback in California. The 37-year-old Spaniard has only participated this year in the tournament in Brisbane in early January.

And the three-time Masters winner will receive a warm welcome here. He will play his opening match on Thursday, March 7, regardless of the draw. The Mallorca native will play in the evening program on that day.

An unexpectedly early meeting of the legends that will be featured at the BNP Paribas Open. In fact, Nadal met Novak Djokovic on the same flight to California. The world number one showed off the photo together on social media.

The Serbian tennis player will try to win his sixth title in Indian Wells. This would make him the most successful player in the history of the tournament. At the moment, he shares this position with Federer.

Other interesting faces

But the competition will be huge. Among the other favourites we must also name last year’s winner Alcaraz, who should be ready to play after his recent injury in South America.

Last year’s champion Taylor Fritz will also be in attendance. His win here was almost a fairy tale back then. The young American entered the final duel against Nadal despite health problems and still won the biggest triumph of his career so far.

In California, the finalists of this year’s Australian Open will also show their skills. Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Russia’s Daniil Medvedev will be among the big favourites on American soil as well.

Source: ATP, BNP Paribas Open