By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday February 8, 2023
The BNP Paribas Open has announced its player list for 2023. The event, which begins on March 6 and culminates on the 19th of March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, is the first Masters 1000 event of the season.
To see the tournament’s player fields click here
Reigning title holders Iga Swiatek headline a list that also includes World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and three-time champion Rafael Nadal, who met in the quarterfinals of last year’s event.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is also on the tournament entry list, as is World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka who arrives in Indian Wells fresh off securing her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 Australian Open. Swiatek will be aiming to become the first woman to win back-to-back titles in the desert since Martina Navratilova (1990, 1991).
On the men’s side a Big Three player has not won the title since Novak Djokovic won his fifth BNP Paribas title in 2016. Since 2019 Dominic Thiem, Cameron Norrie and Fritz have added their names to the tournament’s rarefied honor roll, which of course includes five-time champion Djokovic and three-time champion Nadal.
A trifecta of former BNP Paribas Open champions will join Swiatek in looking to capture glory once again in Tennis Paradise, with Paula Badosa (World No. 21), Victoria Azarenka (World No. 16) and Bianca Andreescu (World No. 37) all set to compete in the desert this March.
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.