Djokovic aiming for Indian Wells, Nadal hints at continuing comeback

The BNP Paribas Open entry list was revealed earlier this week and–as expected–it includes both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic confirmed on his website that he will play the Indian Wells Masters for the first time since 2019. It is the next tournament on the top-ranked Serb’s schedule, which means he is skipping the ATP 500 in Dubai later this month. Djokovic is a five-time champion in Dubai, but he appears to be minimizing his schedule to focus on Masters 1000s and–most importantly–Grand Slams.

The 36-year-old is also a five-time winner in Indian Wells, where he hopes to get back on track after losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals.

Sinner will be joining Djokovic in the desert along with Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Hubert Hurkacz, Taylor Fritz, and Stefanos Tsitisipas. Alcaraz beat Medvedev in last year’s final. Fritz won the event in 2022, beating Nadal in the title match.

Nadal, who missed almost all of 2023 with a hip injury, returned in Brisbane and advanced to the quarterfinals. However, the 37-year-old Spaniard emerged from that tournament less than 100 percent and was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open.

Videos of recent practice sessions suggest that Nadal is nearing another comeback.

“After a period of not putting anything on here, here we are,” Nadal posted on Instagram last week. “Back to the training sessions… with more intensity.”

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has triumphed in Indian Wells on three occasions. He defeated Djokovic in 2007, Andy Murray in 2009, and Juan Martin Del Potro in 2013. Nadal has also finished runner-up twice, losing to Djokovic in 2011 and to Fritz two years ago.

Full Indian Wells entry list

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