Novak Djokovic on Indian Wells entry list, could play in BNP Paribas Open following hiatus

Five-time BNP Paribas Open champion Novak Djokovic could return to the Indian Wells tournament for the first time since 2019, and he joins fellow Grand Slam king Rafael Nadal as the biggest headliners on the entry field list that was released Wednesday.

Djokovic, the top-ranked player in the men's game, did not play in the tournament in 2021 and 2022 as he was unable to travel into the country as a foreigner who had not received the COVID-19 vaccination. The tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Currently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) vaccination requirement for international visitors to the United States is in place until April 10. That could preclude Djokovic from playing at Indian Wells unless his vaccination status has changed, the requirement is lifted or he receives an exemption before then.

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote this week on a bill that would end the vaccine requirement for foreign travelers flying into the country.

This year’s BNP Paribas Open will be held March 6-19 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. With or without Djokovic, this year's entry field looks strong.

Headlining the women's side of the entry list is Polish tennis star Iga Świątek, the top-ranked player in the world, and second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Świątek and Sabalenka are the two most recent Grand Slam winners in the women's game, and Świątek is the defending champion at Indian Wells.

Nadal, who is tied with Djokovic for the all-time record in the men's game with 22 Grand Slam titles, reached the singles final at last year’s event before losing to American Taylor Fritz. The loss snapped a 21-match win streak for Nadal to start the 2022 season.

The 36-year-old Spanish tennis star is coming off a hip flexor injury he suffered earlier this month at the Australian Open. He was initially expected to miss six to eight weeks on the World Tour, and Indian Wells will start about seven weeks after the injury. Players on the entry list can still withdraw their names later, if needed.

Eighth-ranked Fritz, 25, became the first American, man or woman, to win an Indian Wells singles title since 2001. He is slated to return to defend his title next month.

Joining Fritz on the men's entry list is second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, the teenage Spanish tennis sensation who reached the BNP Paribas Open semifinals last year. Alcaraz has not played yet this year due to a leg injury. His presence at Indian Wells would add more star power to the tournament field.

Other big names entered include third-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, fourth-ranked Casper Ruud of Norway and fifth-ranked Andrey Rublev of Russia. Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the seventh-ranked player, ninth-ranked Holger Rune and 10th-ranked Hubert Hurkacz are also among those slated to return to the tournament this year.

Eleventh-ranked Cam Norrie, the 2021 Indian Wells champion, Daniil Medvedev, who ranks 12th, and 20th-ranked Nick Kyrgios are three more names on the entry list to watch.

Also headlining the women’s entry list is third-ranked Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, American Jessica Pegula, who ranks fourth, fifth-ranked Caroline Garcia of France and sixth-ranked Coco Gauff, the 18-year-old American tennis star. Last year's singles finalist, seventh-ranked Maria Sakkari of Greece, is also on the entry list.

Joining Świątek as a women's singles returning champion will be Paula Badosa (ranked 21st) of Spain, Victoria Azarenka (16th) of Belarus and Bianca Andreescu (37th) of Canada. All are on the entry list. Badosa won the event in 2021, Azarenka in 2012 and 2016 and Andreescu in 2019 as a wild card entry.

One notable name missing is Naomi Osaka, who announced earlier this month that she is pregnant and will take the 2023 season off. Other big names who are ranked outside the top 40 may still gain entry to the main draws with wild card invites to the BNP Paribas Open.

The return of Djokovic, who holds the best win percentage (84.75%) at the iconic desert tournament, would be particularly significant. The Serbian tennis star won Indian Wells titles in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and he set the tournament record with 20 consecutive wins from 2014 to 2017.

Only Roger Federer, who retired last year, has won as many BNP Paribas Open titles as Djokovic, 35, who will now have a chance to surpass Federer’s five titles and set nearly every other major Indian Wells record at this year’s tournament.

Notable Americans on the entry list

With Fritz, Pegula, Gauff and several other notable Americans on the entry list, the homegrown talent in this year's BNP Paribas Open may be greater than it has been in decades. Here are a few of the names to watch for:

On the men's side, 2023 Australian Open standouts Tommy Paul (19th), Sebastian Korda (26th) and Ben Shelton (41st) are set to appear in the desert, as well as 2022 U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe (14th). Jenson Brooksby (36th), John Isner (39th), J.J. Wolf (43rd), Reilly Opelka (44th) and 2022 ATP Next Generation Finals champion Brandon Nakashima (46th) are also set to compete. That's 10 Americans in the men's draw alone.

On the women's side, the American talent is also strong. Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens (40th) as well as former Grand Slam finalists Madison Keys (24th) and Danielle Collins (2nd) are also set to return to Indian Wells.

The remaining spots in the 2023 BNP Paribas Open draws will be filled by the winners of the qualifying tournament (March 6-7) and wild card recipients, who will be announced in the coming weeks.

Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley and beyond for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.johnj@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Novak Djokovic on Indian Wells entry list, could play