Indian Wells tennis - Emma Raducanu returns after US Open, schedule, draw, dates, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka out
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ByEurosport
Published 04/10/2021 at 18:12 GMT
All you need to know ahead of Indian Wells 2021 with Britain's Emma Raducanu back in action for the first time since her astonishing triumph at the US Open. Raducanu will be joined at the BNP Paribas Open by Andy Murray, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, with Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka absent.
Indian Wells
Image credit: Getty Images
All you need to know ahead of Indian Wells 2021 as Britain's Emma Raducanu returns to action for the first time since her astonishing triumph at the US Open.
When is the tournament?
Qualifying for the main draw gets underway on October 4 with Britain's Katie Boulter amongst those striving to reach the tournament itself.
The main draw will be held from October 7-17. The day sessions will start at 7pm BST and the night sessions at 2am BST. The singles finals will start from 9pm BST on Sunday, October 17.
When is the draw?
The women’s draw takes place on Monday, October 4 at 11pm BST with the men’s draw 24 hours later on Tuesday, October 5.
Tournament schedule
- Qualifying - October 4, 5, 6
- Round 1 - October 6, 7, 8
- Round 2 - October 8, 9, 10
- Round 3 - October 10, 11, 12
- Round 4 - October 12, 13
- Quarter-finals - October 13, 14, 15
- Semi-finals - October 15, 16
- Finals - October 17
Who is playing?
Raducanu has enjoyed most of the buzz ahead of her debut in the desert following her triumph in New York.
The world No 22 received a wildcard into the tournament and will be among the top 20 seeds with world No 1 Ashleigh Barty, world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka not competing.
As Raducanu is among the 32 seeds she will receive a bye in the first round and will play her first match on either Friday or Saturday. Karolina Pliskova will be the top women's seed in the absence of Barty and Sabalenka while Bianca Andreescu is the defending champion having won the tournament the last time it was staged in 2019. Serena Williams is not playing as she is still recovering from the injury that kept her out of the US Open.
On the men's side, world No 1 Novak Djokovic withdrew from the tournament in order to rest up after his gruelling schedule and falling just short of a Calendar Slam at Flushing Meadows.
“I am sorry I wont get to see my fans in Indian Wells and play in the desert, my favourite place to go," Djokovic said in a statement. "I hope to see you next year!”
The tournament will feature 16 of the top 20 players in the ATP rankings, led by US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini.
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Former world No 1 Andy Murray will play for a fourth successive week after getting a wildcard into the main draw. Cameron Norrie, who reached the final at the San Diego Open on Sunday, could become the new British No 1 ahead of Dan Evans depending how they both fare at the tournament, which is the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem all miss out as they are recovering from injuries and have decided not to play again this year.
Will there be fans allowed?
It is expected that the event will be at full capacity, having been rescheduled from its usual spot in the calendar of March. Anyone going to the tournament will have to show proof of full Covid-19 vaccination.
Tournament odds
TBC
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