Indian Wells 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?
The first half of the sunshine double is almost here, with Indian Wells once again inviting the biggest stars from both the ATP and WTA Tours for the next fortnight.
And we, at Tennishead, have everything you need to know ahead of the tournament often dubbed as ‘the fifth major’:
When is Indian Wells 2024?
The main draw of Indian Wells will kick-off on Wednesday 6th March, concluding on Sunday 17th March with both singles finals.
Play for the day sessions will begin at 11am local time (7pm GMT), with night sessions starting at the later time of 6pm (2am GMT).
Qualifying will take place between Sunday 3rd March and Tuesday 5th March.
Where is Indian Wells held?
The Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Palm Springs, California, is hosting the tournament once again and has done since 1987.
In this complex there are a total of 29 hard courts, headlined by Stadium One, which is the second largest tennis-specific stadium in the world with a capacity of 16,100.
Stadium One is supported by the aptly named Stadium Two, which can hold a maximum of 8,000 people.
Magic around every corner ????
Secure your seat to the 2024 BNP Paribas Open today ????https://t.co/mj3sYmo0rC#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/DEmZ0JXXrV
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) December 22, 2023
Who is playing at Indian Wells 2024?
Novak Djokovic is back at Indian Wells for the first time since 2019, with the record five-time champion playing his first tournament since losing in the Australian Open semi-final.
The Serb is the top seed in the desert, as he looks to move ahead of joint record holder Roger Federer, but has not claimed the Indian Wells title in eight years.
A familiar sight ????@djokernole seeks a sixth trophy in the desert ???? #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/pMEacPX4KH
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) February 4, 2024
In the men’s draw Djokovic will be joined by other top seeds including defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner and 2023 runner-up Daniil Medvedev.
Three-time champion Rafael Nadal is also back, as he looks to continue what potentially could be his final year on the ATP Tour.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played since the Brisbane International, but seems to be fighting fit ahead of the Masters 1000 event.
Rafa Night Lights ????@rafaelnadal makes his return to #TennisParadise on Thursday, March 7!
Get your tickets ????⬇️
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) February 27, 2024
Cameron Norrie and Taylor Fritz are the only other former champions in the men’s singles field, with the pair looking to recreate their victories from 2021 and 2022, respectively.
There have yet to be any wildcards announced for the men’s draw yet, but stay posted as they are likely to be revealed in the coming days.
A Dream Stadium lineup ????@RafaelNadal, @janniksin & @carlosalcaraz all got in their reps ????#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/3xQLMWmfnv
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 1, 2024
Iga Swiatek is the top seed in the women’s draw once again, with the 2022 champion looking to bounce back from her surprise straight sets defeat to Anna Kalinskaya in Dubai.
Other top seeds include last year’s finalists Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka, as well as US Open champion Coco Gauff.
There are four other former Indian Wells winners in the women’s singles field, in two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, Naomi Osaka, Paula Badosa and Caroline Wozniacki, who received one of the two wildcards announced so far.
Wozniacki was one of two initial wildcards with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams receiving the other, in the American’s first tournament since facing a heavy opening round defeat at the US Open last year.
Can’t wait to be back at #TennisParadise ????????️ https://t.co/O7bpNh67Yh
— Venus Williams (@Venuseswilliams) February 13, 2024
READ MORE – Novak Djokovic reveals ‘favourite Masters tournament’ ahead of long-awaited return
How many ranking points are on offer at Indian Wells 2024?
Not only is Indian Wells an extremely prestigious title to win, but it is also a very good opportunity for players to win generous ranking point offerings:
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | R64 | R128 | Q | Q2 | Q1 |
| Men’s singles | 1000 | 650 | 400 | 200 | 100 | 50 | 30* | 10 | 20 | 10 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s doubles | 600 | 360 | 180 | 90 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Women’s singles | 650 | 390 | 215 | 120 | 65 | 35* | 10 | 30 | 20 | 2 | |
| Women’s doubles | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
What is the prize money for Indian Wells 2024?
There is a whopping total of $19million prize money on offer at Indian Wells this year, and this is how it is broken down:
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | R64 | R128 | Q2 | Q1 |
| Men’s singles | $1,100,000 | $585,000 | $325,000 | $185,000 | $101,000 | $59,100 | $42,000 | $30,050 | $14,400 | $7,800 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s singles | ||||||||||
| Men’s doubles* | $447,300 | $236,800 | $127,170 | $63,600 | $34,100 | $18,640 | — | — | — | — |
| Women’s doubles* | — | — | — | — |
*Per team
Previous winners of Indian Wells
Last year saw Carlos Alcaraz continue to impress on the ATP Tour, as he won the Indian Wells title without dropping a set, beating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
As a result, the Spaniard became the youngest player in history to win both legs of the sunshine double at just 19-years-old.
It was a more closely contested women’s singles final, as Elena Rybakina enacted revenge over Aryna Sabalenka from the Australian Open.
Here are all of the different singles and doubles champions from the last 10 Indian Wells events:
| Year | Men’s Singles Champion | Women’s Singles Champion | Men’s Doubles Champions | Women’s Doubles Champions |
| 2013 | Rafael Nadal (3) | Maria Sharapova (2) | Bob & Mike Bryan | Ekaterina Masarova & Elena Vesnina (3) |
| 2014 | Novak Djokovic (3) | Flavia Pennetta | Bob (2) & Mike Bryan (2) | Hsieh Su-wei & Peng Shuai |
| 2015 | Novak Djokovic (4) | Simona Halep | Vasek Pospisil & Jack Sock | Martina Hingis (2) & Sania Mirza (2) |
| 2016 | Novak Djokovic (5) | Victoria Azarenka (2) | Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut | Bethanie Mattek-Sands & CoCo Vandeweghe |
| 2017 | Roger Federer (5) | Elena Vesnina | Raven Klaasen & Rajeev Ram | Chan Yung-jan & Martina Hingis (3) |
| 2018 | Juan Martin del Potro | Naomi Osaka | John Isner & Jack Sock (2) | Hsieh Su-wei (2) & Barbora Strycova |
| 2019 | Dominic Thiem | Bianca Andreescu | Nikola Mektic & Horacio Zeballos | Elise Mertens & Aryna Sabalenka |
| 2020 | Not held due to Covid-19 | – | – | – |
| 2021 | Cameron Norrie | Paula Badosa | John Peers & Filip Polasek | Hsieh Su-Wei (3) & Elise Mertens (2) |
| 2022 | Taylor Fritz | Iga Swiatek | John Isner (2) & Jack Sock (3) | Xu Yifan & Yang Zhaoxuan |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz | Elena Rybakina | Rohan Bopanna & Matthew Ebden | Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova |
How can you watch Indian Wells 2024?
You can watch all of the action at Indian Wells on Sky Sports Tennis in the United Kingdom or Ireland, and on Tennis Channel in the United States of America.
For more information on how you can watch one of the biggest events of the year in your location, visit the official tournament website here.
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