World no1 Novak Djokovic and 22-time grand slam winner Rafael Nadal are among the players to have registered themselves on the entry list for the 2023 Indian Wells.
It is, however, uncertain that either of the two most decorated tennis players in the history of the game, will actually take the field for the March 6th to 19th tournament.
Nadal is still recovering from an injury he suffered during his Australian Open loss while Djokovic may miss the Indian Wells for a second straight year due to his vaccination status.
The USA will not lift its Covid restrictions until May 11th, long after the tournament has concluded.
The Serbian has won the tournament five times while Nadal reached the final last year before losing to Taylor Fritz.
Indian Wells will still feature plenty of star power if it takes place without the two stalwarts.
Carlos Alcaraz is set to make his long-awaited return at the tournament after missing the Australian Open while Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Holger Rune, Hubert Hurkacz, Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray are in the field as well.
On the women’s side, top-ranked Iga Swiatek is back to defend her title from last year joined by Australian Open winner and second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.
Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, Caroline Garcia and Coco Gauff are other noteworthy names in the draw.
The remaining spots will be filled by winners of the qualifying tournament and wild card recipients, who will be announced in the coming weeks.
The complete list can be found here.
