10 things to look for at Indian Wells

 

                                             (Credit: Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun) 

With the BNP Paribas Open (a.k.a. Indian Wells Open) already underway in Palm Springs, California, I thought I would share 10 things to look for in what many people dub the "Fifth Grand Slam." This is an ATP & WTA 1000 event.  Click here to check out the draws. Ok, let's get after it! 

#1. Can Jannik Sinner win his first Indian Wells title? Jannik Sinner is still in search of his first title at Indian Wells. After reaching the semifinals in 2023 and 2024, he did not play the event in 2025. This time, he comes in as the No. 2 ranked player in the world with No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz on the opposite side of the draw. At some point, Sinner is bound to win an Indian Wells title. The only question is when. After not reaching the Australian Open final, he should feel a bit of extra motivation coming into this event. Perhaps that extra fuel will make the difference. 

#2. Can Aryna Sabalenka win her first Indian Wells title? World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is also in search of her first Indian Wells title. She's a two-time finalist, but so far has not been able to get over the hump in the final. Also like Sinner, she should be coming in with an extra chip on her shoulder after not winning the Australian Open. A title at Indian Wells would be a nice message for Sabalenka to send to the rest of the WTA Tour that she's still the top hard court player in the world. 

#3. How deep of a run can Daniil Medvedev make? Coming in as the No. 11 ranked player in the world, Daniil Medvedev has never won Indian Wells before and his lone grand slam title at the 2021 US Open with each passing year is further and further in the rear view mirror. At 30 years of age, on paper he's a guy that should still be in the mix to win grand slams and big time tournaments. If he could make a deep run at Indian Wells to the semis or final, that would be massive for him. Heck, even a run to the quarterfinals would be nice for him. If you want to talk about a dark horse on the men's side for this tournament, I think Medvedev is your guy. 

#4. Can Coco Gauff win her first Indian Wells title? In case you aren't already catching onto my theme here, world No. 4 Coco Gauff is another player in search of her first Indian Wells title. She reached the semifinals back in 2024, but that is the furthest she has gone.  It'll be fun to see how deep she goes and whether or not she can go the distance. If she does, that would be a huge boon for her heading into the spring. 

#5. Can Jack Draper defend his title? The defending champion on the men's side is world No. 15 Jack Draper, who defeated Holger Rune in the final 6-2, 6-2.  While the odds are stacked against him given the depth of the field, Draper should have some confidence given what happened last year. World No. 3 Novak Djokovic is projected to be waiting for him in the Round of 16. If Draper could somehow upset Djokovic, anything could happen going forward. 

#6. Can Mirra Andreeva defend her title? On the women's side, world No. 8 Mirra Andreeva is the defending champion, defeating Sabalenka in the final 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Andreeva was 17 years old at the time and became the youngest champion at the event since 1999. Given she defeated Sabalenka in the final last year, she should be feeling confident going into this year's tournament. It'll be fun to see what kind of tennis Andreeva plays and how much she threatens do defend her crown. 

#7. Can Novak Djokovic break Roger Federer's record? On the men's side, world No. 3 Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer each have a record five titles at Indian Wells. If Djokovic could win a sixth, he'd be all alone in first place. Given how important of a tournament Indian Wells is, holding the record would mean a lot to Djokovic. As for when he won his five titles, Djokovic won in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016. So, it's been a full decade since he won his last one. If Djokovic is able to get his sixth Indian Wells title 10 years later, what a headline that would be! 

#8. Can Elena Rybakina build on her Australian Open title to win at Indian Wells again? World No. 3 Elena Rybakina is coming in with some momentum having won the Australian Open earlier this year.  She also won Indian Wells back in 2023, defeating Sabalenka in the final 7-6, 6-4. She's won this tournament before and did so beating the best of the best. If Rybakina can find a way to win Indian Wells this year, she'll really be heading into the spring with a spring in her step. Pun intended! 

#9. Can Carlos Alcaraz build on his Australian Open title to win at Indian Wells? World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz won the Australian Open this year and also has two Indian Wells titles under his belt in 2023 and 2024. He should be feeling confident in his abilities to go the distance this year. What helps him out a bit is having Djokovic/Draper/Sinner on the other half the draw. The perks of being the top seed! In the Round of 16, Alcaraz should he advance would likely face No. 13 Casper Ruud, who he has a 5-1 record against.  Honestly, it will be a surprise if Alcaraz doesn't at least make the final. The draw really is pretty nice for him. 

#10. Can Iga Swiatek win a third Indian Wells title? World No. 2 Iga Swiatek is gunning for a third Indian Wells title.  She won it back in 2022 and 2024. Given her lone hard court grand slam title is at the 2022 US Open, it actually would be good for Swiatek to win this title if she has hopes of winning the US Open this year. Winning on hard court is still something she needs to get more comfortable doing, especially at the grand slam level. I'll be interested to see how she does in this event. 

Prediction: On the men's side, I'll roll with Novak Djokovic to come out on top. I think in three set matches, his stamina can hold up better and he'll have that extra motivation of surpassing Federer to win his sixth Indian Wells title. As for the women's side, I'll roll with Elena Rybakina. She just won the Australian Open and has won this event before. I think picking her to win the women's title is sound. 

ATPGuy.com on X (Twitter): @atp_guy 

ATPGuy.com on Facebook: @ATPGuyNation 

ATPGuy.com on Bluesky: atpguydotcom.bsky.social   

 

10 things to look for at 2025 Wimbledon

 

                       

Wimbledon starts this week, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for. Click here to check out the draws. Ok, let's get after it! 

#1. Can Aryna Sabalenka get it done on grass? Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the number one ranked player in the world on the ladies' side, but she is yet to win a grand slam away from hard court. She came close at the French Open, losing in the final to Coco Gauff, but no cigar. She has reached the semifinals at Wimbledon twice in 2021 and 2023. Will this be the year she finally wins away from the hard court? That's the question. 

#2. Can Jannik Sinner get it done on the grass? Just like Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner is ranked number one in the world without having a grand slam title away from hard court under his belt. Also like Sabalenka, Sinner came up short in the final at the French Open, though his loss was more heartbreaking given he was up 2-0 on Carlos Alcaraz. The parallels between Sinner and Sabalenka continue as the furthest Sinner has gone at Wimbledon is the semifinals in 2023. It'll be interesting to see if Sinner will have any better luck than Sabalenka or maybe both will break through on the grass. 

#3. Will Emma Raducanu make some noise in front of the home crowd? Ranked No. 38 in the world, it feels like a while ago since Emma Raducanu won the US Open in 2021. Given she is a British citizen, she should have the London crowd behind her. The furthest she's gone at Wimbledon is 4th round in 2021 and 2024. Perhaps this is the year she'll make a push to at least the quarterfinals. 

#4. How will Jack Draper do behind the home crowd? Jack Draper comes in as the No. 4 seed in the tournament with the weight of Great Britain behind him, hailing from London. Fortunately for him, he doesn't have the ghost of Fred Perry to worry about as Andy Murray put that demon to bed when he won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016. Still, the Brits love to see their own do well at The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. Draper hasn't done well at Wimbledon, having not gotten past the second round. Hopefully for him, he'll fare much better this year. 

#5. Will Coco Gauff threaten? Despite all the success she has had, most recently winning the French Open, Coco Gauff remains stuck at Wimbledon, reaching the 4th round three times in her career but never beyond that. On paper, given she is the No. 2 seed, you'd think she'd be a heavy favorite. History suggests otherwise. Perhaps this will be the year she'll buck that trend for the better. 

#6. Will Carlos Alcaraz complete the three-peat? Carlos Alcaraz comes in as the number two ranked player in the world, yet he is the two-time defending champion at Wimbledon. Odds are on him to go the distance, but it's never easy to repeat, let alone three-peat at Wimbledon. If he's able to do that, he'll continue to put himself in rarified air. 

#7. Can Mirra Andreeva continue her momentum from Roland Garros? Mirra Andreeva is coming off a strong performance at Roland Garros, reaching the quarterfinals. She reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2024, so perhaps she's just far ahead on the clay. Still, at 18 years of age and ranked No. 7 in the world, there is a lot of interest in how she'll perform. 

#8. Can Alexander Zverev shake his Wimbledon struggles? Given he is ranked No. 3 in the world, never having gotten past the 4th round at Wimbledon I think is a failure for Alexander Zverev. There's no reason to think this year will be any different, but hope springs eternal, I suppose. 

#9. Can Naomi Osaka find her groove again? Ranked No. 56 in the world, it's been a while since Naomi Osaka has been relevant at a grand slam. She also has never won a grand slam away from the hard court, making it a long put for her to win Wimbledon. If she could reach the 4th round and build some momentum for the US Open, I think she'd take it. 

#10. How will Novak Djokovic perform? Novak Djokovic comes in as the No. 6 player in the world, having reached the semifinals at both grand slams this year. Djokovic loves Wimbledon, having won it seven times. This might be his best opportunity to win a slam this year. Especially since Sinner and Alcaraz both emptied the tank in the French Open final. 

Prediction: On the gentlemen's side, I have to roll with Carlos Alcaraz. It's his tournament to lose. As for the ladies' side, I'm going to say Aryna Sabalenka breaks through to win her first Wimbledon title. 

ATPGuy.com on Facebook: @ATPGuyNation 

ATPGuy.com on X (Twitter): @atp_guy 

ATPGuy.com on Blue Sky: atpguydotcom.bsky.social 

Ben Parker on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, & Blue Sky: @slamdunk406 

Top 5 contenders entering second week of 2025 Roland Garros: Women's singles

 

                                             (Aryna Sabalenka. Credit: Getty Images) 

The second week of the French Open at Roland Garros is about to get started and there are 16 women left in the draw. Click here to check out the draw if you haven't already done so. Below is my list of top five contenders left on the women's side. Click here to check out who I got on the men's side. Okay, away we go! 

#1. Iga Świątek (Poland): Iga Świątek is the No. 5 seed in the tournament, but she's still number one on my list of contenders. She's a four-time champion at Roland Garros, having won three straight titles. She hasn't dropped a set all tournament and is really on cruise control through three rounds. It will get tougher for her starting with her fourth round match against No. 12 Elena Rybakina, but so long as she's still in the tournament, Swiatek has to be my favorite to win it all on the women's side. 

#2. Jasmine Paolini (Italy): Jasmine Paolini is the No. 4 seed in the tournament, but she's number two on my list of contenders. She reached the final at Roland Garros last year and is coming in with a lot of momentum having won the Italian Open in Rome. If Swiatek is going to go down to anybody, Paolini in the quarterfinals would be my bet. It's a shame they couldn't at least meet in the semifinals, but the draws go off the rankings and this is what we got. 

#3. Coco Gauff (United States): Coco Gauff is the No. 2 seed in the tournament and has proven herself to be a dangerous clay court player. She reached the final in 2022 at Roland Garros and during this clay season, she reached the final in Madrid and Rome. She's got a pretty favorable draw to reach the final and if she gets there, she should feel confident in her abilities to win it all. 

#4. Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus): Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the No. 1 seed, but given she's never won the French Open before, I have to have her lower on my list. She reached the semifinals back in 2023, so she's shown she can compete on the clay, but a lot of great hard court players have maxed out at that point. One thing that does help Sabalenka is her draw is pretty favorable. Her fourth round match is against No. 16 Amanda Anisimova and then her projected quarterfinal match would be against No. 8 Qinwen Zheng. Sabalenka should feel really confident in her abilities to reach the semifinals. But can she go beyond that? That's the question. 

#5. Mirra Andreeva (Russia): No. 6 Mirra Andreeva rounds out my list. She just turned 18, so she's got plenty of tennis ahead of her. Still, she's showing no signs of wanting to delay success. She reached the semifinals at Roland Garros last year and so far hasn't dropped a set this tournament. A lot of people feel she can go the distance. If she does, given her youth, that would be quite a story. 

ATPGuy.com on Facebook: @ATPGuyNation 

ATPGuy.com on X (Twitter): @atp_guy 

ATPGuy.com on Blue Sky: atpguydotcom.bsky.social 

Ben Parker on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, & Blue Sky: @slamdunk406 

10 things to take away from the 2024 French Open

 

                                             (Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports) 

The 2024 French Open is now behind us, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were in Paris. Let's get after it!

#1. Carlos Alcaraz is nearing a career grand slam: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 to win the men's final. This is Alcaraz's third grand slam singles title at his third different grand slam. He won Wimbledon last year and the US Open in 2022. He just needs to win the Australian Open to complete the career slam and he's just 21 years of age. That's crazy. I can't say I'm surprised though as he was my pick to win it all on the men's side. He's a becoming a superstar before our eyes. This almost certainly won't be the last French Open he wins. 

#2. Iga Świątek is the princess of clay: Chris Evert is still the queen of clay with her record seven French Open titles on the women's side, but after winning her fourth French Open title this year, Iga Świątek has earned the title of princess of clay and yes, she was my pick on the women's side. At just 23 years of age, she's got a great chance to surpass Evert's record and who knows, maybe she'll give Rafael Nadal's all-time record of 14 French Open titles a run for its money, too. By the way, if you didn't the result, Świątek defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1 in the final. 

#3. Novak Djokovic's summer is in doubt: Novak Djokovic had to pull out after winning his 4th round match due to tearing the medial meniscus in his right knee. He underwent surgery afterwards, making his Wimbledon in doubt. It'll be interesting to see if he gives it a go in London or if he'll skip it so as to gear up for the US Open. 

#4. Coco Gauff continues to be a legit threat on the clay: Coco Gauff fell to Iga Świątek in the semifinals. There's no shame in that. Her last four French Opens have ended in the quarterfinals, final, quarterfinals, and now semifinals. If there's anyone that's going to challenge Świątek in the years to come for French Open titles, it's gonna be Gauff, who amazingly is just 20 years of age. 

#5. Alexander Zverev made some strides: Alexander Zverev made the second grand slam final of his career. His first being back in 2020 at the US Open. At 27 years of age, he is in the prime of his career and should have some hope that if he keeps knocking on the door, eventually he'll win a grand slam. Wimbledon is going to be key for him this year. 

#6. Jasmine Paolini has figured something out: Before this season, the furthest Jasmine Paolini had gone in a grand slam is the 2nd round. At the Australian Open this year, she advanced to the 4th round and at the French Open this year, she had a dream run to the final before losing to Iga Świątek who is one of the greatest clay court players ever. At 28 years of age, the Italian Paolini appears to have really figured out something in her game. It'll be interesting to see how she does at Wimbledon and the US Open later this year. 

#7. The end is finally here for Rafael Nadal: Rafael Nadal fell to Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the 1st round. Nadal losing that early at a tournament he dominated for so long is all you need to know about where his career is. It's coming to a close. The only question is whether or not he'll be back for one more French Open or not. Whenever he does officially say goodbye, he'll go down as one of the greatest players to ever play and the undisputed king of clay. 

#8. Mirra Andreeva has burst onto the scene: At just 17 years of age, Mirra Andreeva made a run to the semifinals before falling to Jasmine Paolini in straight sets. It was an amazing run for Andreeva as it was the furthest she's ever gone at a grand slam. She is now ranked #23 in the world and I'm sure her ranking will only continue to climb. It's always exciting when someone this young makes their presence felt in such a strong way. I look forward to seeing how she does in the future and how the rest of her summer goes. 

#9. Jannik Sinner hangs onto world number one ranking: While he wasn't able to win it all at Roland Garros, by reaching the semifinals where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets, Jannik Sinner hangs on to the world number one ranking. He won his first grand slam this year in Australia and wasn't quite able to get it done on the clay this year. At just 22 years of age, I do think he'll likely win a French Open at some point, but the problem he has is Carlos Alcaraz being a year younger than him. It's certainly going to be fun to see the two of them battle it out in the coming seasons. 

#10. It's good to have Naomi Osaka back: Naomi Osaka may have lost in the 2nd round, but she did so in as strong of fashion as possible. She lost to the eventual champion Iga Świątek by a final score of 6-7, 6-1, 5-7. She nearly knocked Świątek out of the tournament who as I mentioned, is becoming one of the most dominant clay players of all-time. 

To push Świątek to the edge like that has to give Osaka a lot of confidence. Especially since clay and grass have never been her thing. The 3rd round is the furthest she's gone at the French Open and Wimbledon. The hard courts are where she dominates as she has two US Open titles and two Australian Open titles. If she's playing well on clay against the top clay player in the world, who knows what awaits her when she gets back on the hard courts and even grass. 

ATP Guy on X (Twitter): @atp_guy 

ATP Guy on Facebook: @ATPGuyNation 

Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and X (Twitter): @slamdunk406