Nadal’s return headlines men’s event in Indian Wells: Five storylines to follow

The first Masters 1000 of 2024 begins this week with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, with a stacked field and plenty to discuss. Here are five storylines to watch for in the men’s singles.

The return of Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal looked pretty good in the “Netflix Slam” exhibition against Carlos Alcaraz on Monday but a Masters 1000 will be a major step up in terms of his progress as he continues to recover full fitness. Nadal’s stated goal is to get some good practice in with his fellow pros, come through Indian Wells “unsccathed” and then arrive for the clay-court season in shape, building toward a bid for what would be a record-extending 15th Roland-Garros title. A first-round battle with Milos Raonic is tough; a second-round clash with No 7 seed Holger Rune would be a massive test.

HOW Novak Djokovic bouncES back

World No 1 Novak Djokovic hasn’t played since losing to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Australian Open but as Jeremy Baudu discusses on these pages, the Serbian usually bounces back strongly and quickly from disappointment at the slams. Djokovic hasn’t played in Indian Wells since 2019 but he’s won it five times and is well capable of making it six as he looks to reassert his dominance.

Sinner chasing WORLD No 2 SPOT

No one has more confidence right now than Jannik Sinner, who will still be flying high on confidence after winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. In some ways, winning Rotterdam a couple of weeks later was just as impressive and Sinner seems intent on becoming a serial winner, and fast. The Italian looks in great shape and that confidence will take some stopping. He’s already No 2 in the live rankings, so if he outperforms Alcaraz, who is recovering from an ankle injury, in California, he’ll leapfrog him in the rankings.

Tsitsipas (and one-handed backhand) eyeing top 10

Tennis purists will have their hopes set on a good run for Stefanos Tsitsipas in Indian Wells, not only because the Greek is good to watch but because he represents the best hope of getting someone who plays with a one-handed backhand back into the top 10. History was made on February 19 when the ATP rankings did not include a one-hander for the first time since their inception in 1973 but Tsitsipas is just 45 points behind No 10 Alex de Minaur in the live rankings, so has a good chance to get back in, even if De Minaur is in the form of his life and coming off another title.

Will Humbert continue his golden run?

Ugo Humbert arrives in the desert in the form of his life, too, having beaten Gael Monfils, Andy Murray, Hubert Hurkacz, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Bublik in Dubai last week to win the biggest title of his career, with the Halle ATP 500 won in 2021. A change of conditions – the court itself is a lot slower in Indian Wells – will take some adjustment but if he plays with the confidence he has done this year (he also won Marseille), he will be hugely dangerous.

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