Indian Wells 2023: Schedule, draw, seeds, prize money, are Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal playing? Iga Swiatek stars

The start of Indian Wells is just days away. Sometimes referred to as the “fifth Grand Slam”, the tournament is one of the most prestigious on the ATP and WTA tours, and will see most of the top men’s and women’s players in action.

Here’s all you need to know about Indian Wells, including the schedule, timings, who is playing, who is not playing, the seeds, and which British players are competing.

When is Indian Wells?

The main draw for the men’s and women’s singles at Indian Wells starts on Wednesday, March 8.

The men’s and women’s finals are both on Sunday, March 19.

Indian Wells schedule and timings

• Wednesday, March 8: Men’s and women’s first round (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Thursday, March 9: Men’s and women’s first round (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Friday, March 10: Men’s and women’s second round (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Saturday, March 11: Men’s and women’s second round (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Sunday, March 12: Men’s and women’s third round (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Monday, March 13: Men’s and women’s third round (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Tuesday, March 14: Men’s and women’s fourth round (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Wednesday, March 15: Men’s and women’s quarter-finals (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Thursday, March 16: Men’s and women’s quarter-finals (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Friday, March 17: Women’s semi-finals (Day session starts at 7pm GMT, evening session starts at 2am GMT)
• Saturday, March 18: Men’s semi-finals and men’s and women’s doubles final (Day session starts at 7pm GMT)
• Sunday, March 19: Men’s and women’s finals (Day session starts at 9pm GMT)

Who’s playing Indian Wells?

The biggest absentees are Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will be the top men’s seed ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Alcaraz will replace Djokovic as the world No. 1 if he wins the title in Indian Wells, while Tsitsipas also has a chance to get to No. 1 if he wins at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Daniil Mevedev will be looking to win his fourth title in a row after his victory in Dubai, while Taylor Fritz won Indian Wells last year.

Nick Kyrgios is not playing as he continues to recover from surgery.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka are the top women’s seeds.

World No. 4 Ons Jabeur will be playing for the first time since the Australian Open after undergoing a minor surgery.

When’s the Indian Wells draw?

The draw took place on Monday, March 6.

All of the 32 seeded singles players receive a first-round bye so do not play until Friday, March 10 at the earliest.

Which Brits are playing at Indian Wells?

British women’s No. 1 Emma Raducanu will be returning to action for the first time since the Australian Open.

Katie Swan and Katie Boulter are looking to qualify to join Raducanu in the women’s draw. Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage both lost in qualifying.

Andy Murray will be hoping to continue his strong start to the season at one of two Masters events he hasn’t won (along with Monte Carlo).

Former world No. 1 Murray made the final of the Qatar Open in February.

British men’s No. 1 Cameron Norrie is also in good form, having made three finals this season and beaten Alcaraz to win the Rio Open. He is also a former champion at Indian Wells back in 2021.

Norrie and Murray will be joined in the men’s draw by Dan Evans, Jack Draper and Kyle Edmund.

Who are the men’s and women’s seeds?

Men’s top 16 singles seeds

• No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz
• No. 2 Stefanos Tsitsipas
• No. 3 Casper Ruud
• No. 4 Taylor Fritz
• No. 5 Andrey Rublev
• No. 6 Daniil Medvedev
• No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime
• No. 8 Holger Rune
• No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz
• No. 10 Cameron Norrie
• No. 11 Jannik Sinner
• No. 12 Karen Khachanov
• No. 13 Frances Tiafoe
• No. 14 Alexander Zverev
• No. 15 Pablo Carreno Busta
• No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti

Women’s top 16 singles seeds

• No.1 Iga Swiatek
• No.2 Aryna Sabalenka
• No.3 Jessica Pegula
• No.4 Ons Jabeur
• No.5 Caroline Garcia
• No.6 Coco Gauff
• No.7 Maria Sakkari
• No.8 Daria Kasatkina
• No.9 Belinda Bencic
• No.10 Elena Rybakina
• No.11 Veronika Kudermetova
• No.12 Liudmila Samsonova
• No.13 Beatriz Haddad Maia
• No.14 Victoria Azarenka
• No.15 Petra Kvitova
• No.16 Barbora Krejcikova

How to watch Indian Wells

Live coverage of Indian Wells in the UK will be provided by Amazon Prime Video.

WHAT IS THE PRIZE MONEY AT INDIAN WELLS?

The prize money at the tournament is the same for men and women.

The winner of the event will earn $1,262,220 (£1.05m), the runner-up will get $662,360 (£551,507), the semi-finalists get $352,635 (£293,618) and the quarter-finalists $184,465 (£153,592).

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