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BNP Paribas Open men's storylines: Will Novak Djokovic play? Will Taylor Fritz repeat as champion?

andrew l. john, palm springs desert sun
·4 min read
11

Many of the top tennis players in the world will arrive in the California desert this month, hoping to become the next BNP Paribas Open champion.

Even without Roger Federer, who has retired, and Rafael Nadal, who has withdrawn with an injury, the field at Indian Wells is packed with a star-studded collection of players.

With that in mind, here are some key ATP storylines to watch as one of the more prestigious tennis tournaments in the world gets underway March 6 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden:

Will Novak Djokovic play?

This is still an unknown, at least publicly. The top-ranked player in the men’s game, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, is technically on the entry list for Indian Wells, but it’s still unclear whether he will be granted an exemption to fly into the United States as a foreign traveler who is unvaccinated against COVID-19.

Djokovic, a five-time winner at Indian Wells, may already know the answer to that, but he has not officially withdrawn from the main draw. Last year, the circumstances were similar, and Djokovic did not withdraw until after the main draw pairings were released.

Novak Djokovic reaches for a shot from Bjorn Fratangelo at the BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., March 9, 2019.
Novak Djokovic reaches for a shot from Bjorn Fratangelo at the BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., March 9, 2019.

It appears that it could be the same again this year. Djokovic’s presence at Indian Wells would be a major boon for the tournament, which has not had him in the draw since 2019. If he were to be granted an exemption to enter the country and play at Indian Wells, he would have to be considered the clear favorite to win.

Will Taylor Fritz repeat as champion?

I’d imagine most believe the 25-year-old American has a great shot, especially without Nadal, and potentially Djokovic, in the draw. Fritz reached a career-high ranking of fifth in the world on Feb. 27, after winning a title in Delray Beach (Fla.) last month and has been playing the best tennis of his career over the last year.

If Fritz were to win back-to-back titles at Indian Wells, he’d be the first since Djokovic in 2016 to accomplish the feat. He’d also be the first American to do it since Michael Chang in 1997.

That’s quite an ask of a player who still feels as though his best tennis is ahead of him. But Fritz does seem like he has the early-season momentum and the familiarity at Indian Wells to pull it off. After all, Fritz is 5-0 all-time versus top 10 players at Indian Wells.

American Taylor Fritz, left, defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain to win the men's final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Sunday, March 2022.
American Taylor Fritz, left, defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain to win the men's final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Sunday, March 2022.

Could another American challenge Fritz?

For the first time in quite a while, there appears to be a decent chance that we could see two or more American men in the Indian Wells semifinals. After Fritz, Frances Tiafoe is the next highest-ranked American, at 15th, then there’s Tommy Paul at 23rd. There are currently 10 American men inside the top 50.

With so many American men playing well entering the BNP Paribas Open, it’s not at all a stretch to believe that more than one of them could get on a roll with a large American crowd behind them at Indian Wells. It happened last year, with several American men winning multiple matches at the event, and it appears even more likely this year, with those same players coming off big results over the last year.

Who else in the field is likely to make a run?

Well, we have several candidates who could have an Indian Wells breakthrough this year. Let’s start with Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 24-year-old Greek tennis star who is ranked third in the world.

Tsitsipas reached the Australian Open final in January, where he fell to Djokovic, and has put together a very strong start to the season, going 13-2 through his first 15 matches.

Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns a shot to American Jenson Brooksby during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Monday, March 14, 2022.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns a shot to American Jenson Brooksby during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Monday, March 14, 2022.

Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, and fourth-ranked Casper Ruud, of Norway, are two young stars to watch for. Alcaraz left Acapulco with a hamstring injury and his status for Indian Wells remains uncertain, but he reached the Indian Wells semifinals last year as an 18-year-old.

Andrey Rublev, the Russian who is ranked sixth in the world, advanced to the BNP Paribas Open semifinals last year. Rublev, 25, has continued to play well over the last year after losing to Fritz last year at Indian Wells.

Those four would have to be considered the favorites, provided they indeed play at Indian Wells, after Djokovic and Fritz.

Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com. Find him on Twitter: @Andrew_L_John.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Will Novak Djokovic play? Will Taylor Fritz repeat?