Raducanu to 'tap into a few people' over coaching
British number one Emma Raducanu says she wants to “bring my instincts back out” as she prepares for Indian Wells in California.
British number one Emma Raducanu says she wants to “bring my instincts back out” as she prepares for Indian Wells in California.
There are thousands of fans around the Indian Wells Tennis Garden watching the world’s best tennis players. One of them at the BNP Paribas Open Wednesday happened to be ATP No. 1 Club member Andre Agassi.
The 2001 Indian Wells champion was courtside on Stadium 4 to watch American Marcos Giron rally for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory against Mariano Navone.
“You don’t want to let him down if he’s coming out and supporting you. You definitely want to put on a good performance,” Giron told ATPTour.com. “After losing the first there’s part of me like, ‘You can’t lose’. That would kind of suck if he comes out and you don’t perform well. But he just wants players to be the best of themselves.
“I know that winning or losing, it’s not about that even though you want to do it. But it’s what can you really do in the real time.”
This was not the first time Giron has enjoyed Agassi’s presence in his box. Two years ago in Newport, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings was there for the home favourite, who eventually lifted the trophy.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Giron said. “I couldn’t imagine 10 years ago that I’d be playing here at Indian Wells and he’d be there in the box on Stadium 4 watching me play first round of the tournament.”
Giron has spent plenty of time with Agassi in Las Vegas over the years and they keep in touch while not together. So what is it like to have a 60-time tour-level titlist in his corner?
“He sees the game on levels. He can dive into all those details,” Giron said. “But during the match, it depends on what’s needed. Usually it’s more about just being present and the few adjustments to go for.”
<img alt=”Marcos Giron and Andre Agassi” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/20/05/04/giron-agassi-newport-2024.jpg” />
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Matteo Berrettini cramped immediately after his final shot en route to a first-round win Wednesday at the BNP Paribas Open, sealing victory at the perfect moment.
Upon clinching his 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 win against Adrian Mannarino, the Italian fell to the ground in pain and sat there for roughly five minutes while receiving a visit from the ATP supervisor and physio. Smiling in relief despite the pain, Berrettini left everything on court to earn a second-round showdown against fourth seed Alexander Zverev.
“I fought really hard, until the very last point,” Berrettini said in his on-court interview. “At the beginning of the third [set], I started to feel a little bit of cramping. I was little bit surprised at the beginning but then I remembered that I was sick until three days ago, so I was like, ‘Okay, it’s normal’.”
Berrettini entered the match 0-2 against Mannarino and the Frenchman started Wednesday’s clash by winning his sixth consecutive set against the Italian. The 29-year-old then leaned on his backhand slice to set up opportunities for his booming forehand, while also dropping just five points behind his first serve in the decider, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to advance.
Berrettini will next look to improve upon his 3-4 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Zverev.
In other action, Gael Monfils became the second-oldest match winner (39 years, six months) in tournament history by ousting Alexis Galarneau 6-3, 6-4. Only Ivo Karlovic (40) was older when he reached the fourth round in 2019.
The Frenchman will meet ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round.
Reilly Opelka won an all-American clash against Ethan Quinn 7-5, 7-6(3) while Jenson Brooksby downed Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-4. Gabriel Diallo defeated Mattia Bellucci 7-6(5), 6-4 and Zizou Bergs was a 6-3, 6-4 winner against Jan-Lennard Struff.
Novak Djokovic arrives at the BNP Paribas Open ready to compete for the first time since his run to the Australian Open final. The Serbian’s fortnight Down Under reaffirmed his belief that he remains a force on the sport’s biggest stages, and against his younger rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
In Melbourne, Djokovic dispatched two-time defending champion Sinner in five sets before falling to World No. 1 Alcaraz in the championship match. The 38-year-old could rematch Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-finals should the seeds hold.
“That was an amazing start of the year for me,” Djokovic said during his pre-tournament press conference. “Considering that I haven’t been able to reach [a major final] since Wimbledon 2024, and lost to either Sinner or Alcaraz at all of the Slams last year, it was just an incredible feeling to be able to beat Sinner in five sets in one of the [most] epic matches that I played in recent times in Australia. And then, having another great match with Carlos, who was just too good in the end.
“For me, that has been a phenomenal result. I have proven to myself primarily, and to others, that I can still compete at the highest level and beat these guys. So my logic is why not keep going as long as I have that fire and flair and quality and also motivation to do that.”
Making his 17th appearance in Indian Wells, the five-time champion Djokovic is aiming to break his tie with Roger Federer for most titles in tournament history.
“I have had a fair amount of success in this tournament,” said Djokovic, who boasts a 51-11 tournament record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. “It has always been one of my favourite tournaments to visit. With the great weather, facilities, location and proximity to L.A. — one of the best cities to visit — and the history of the event. It’s really a Tennis Paradise here, so rightfully named that way.”
[NO 1 CLUB]Djokovic, seeded third, will begin his tournament against Pole Kamil Majchrzak or hefty-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The winner of 101 tour-level titles and record holder of 428 weeks spent as World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Djokovic is excited for another opportunity.
“I really enjoy the thrill of competition. I enjoy still getting out there in front of the fans and really being competitive,” Djokovic said. “Still No. 3 of the world, so I don’t think it’s too bad, in terms of the ranking and results and performances. I still have that edge and I’ll keep on going as long as I feel like it.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]One announcement was all it took to bring an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final to an unexpected standstill.
When Carlos Alcaraz met Alexander Zverev in the 2024 quarter-finals at BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, few could have predicted that the spotlight would soon swing from baseline brilliance to airborne chaos.
Yet as chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani recalls, the moment demanded instinct over script. Bees began swarming above Stadium 1, clustering around the spider cam and quickly spreading into the playing area.
“I said ‘Play suspended due to bee invasion’,” Lahyani recalled during an interview with ATP Media. “I could have said anything. For me, the most important [thing] was the safety of the players. It was like a swarm. In a few seconds, there were thousands and thousands [of bees]. So I just wanted to pay attention to Carlos, because Alexander was on the other side — he was safe.
“I made the announcement as quickly as possible. Then you saw what happened… The spider cam came and we were outside in the entrance. We all started joking, because they put on the TV: Player suspended due to bee invasion. In the end, I believe this crazy moment became fun for the fans when the beekeeper came. He was the one who stole the show — he was a hero!”.
As players and officials waited in the corridor, local beekeeper Lance Davis was called in to deal with the swarm that had settled around the spider cam. Without wearing protective gear, Davis calmly vacuumed up the bees, methodically clearing the cluster from above Stadium 1 and allowing play to resume once the area was deemed safe.
Spectators who had initially been unsure what was unfolding soon began applauding as Davis worked, and the delay took on a lighter tone once the situation was under control. By the time he made his way down to court level to confirm it was safe to resume, he had become an unexpected fan favourite.
The delay lasted close to two hours, yet the quarter-final in Indian Wells is now remembered as much for the beekeeper’s intervention as for the tennis that followed.
In a tournament known for its on-court quality, the combination of Lahyani’s quick decision-making and Davis’ heroic response produced one of the most recognisable non-tennis moments on the ATP Tour.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Following the cancellation of the ATP Challenger Tour events in Fujairah, the ATP has been working closely with tournament organisers to support players on site.
Accommodation and essential needs continue to be covered by the tournament, and a charter flight has been arranged and fully funded by the ATP to assist with departures from the region at no cost to players.
Separately, the vast majority of players who were in Dubai have successfully departed today on selected flights. The safety and wellbeing of our players, support teams and staff members remains our highest priority, and we continue to remain in close contact with those affected.
Much has changed for Jack Draper in the past 12 months. Last year, the British lefty won the biggest title of his career at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz and then Holger Rune in the final to triumph.
This year’s arrival in the California desert carries a different context. Draper is competing in just his second ATP Tour event since the US Open last August, after struggling with a left arm injury for the past eight months. The 24-year-old made his return to the ATP Tour last week in Dubai, where he defeated Quentin Halys he lost to Arthur Rinderknech.
[NO 1 CLUB]Despite the limited match play, Draper is not lowering expectations at the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.
“I feel like I wouldn’t be here, wouldn’t be in the tournament if I didn’t feel like I could go all the way again,” Draper said in his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday. “That was probably the primary reason I didn’t go out to Australia, just purely because if I’m going to enter a tournament, I’m going to be in the event, I want to feel like I can be physically ready to not just take part but to go all the way, because I believe in my tennis so much that when I get out there. I know that I can play some great stuff.”
While sidelined, Draper has used his time away to build. The No. 14 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is hopeful the work he has done will benefit him in the months to come, with a key priority on staying healthy.
“I’m just very grateful to be back on the court, to be back on the Tour,” Draper said. “I’m feeling like I have improved a lot as a player over the last eight months, but I do recognise that I have been away from the game, and it is a bit of a step up in level to just come straight back to it after that amount of time out of the game. So let’s see what happens.
“I’m sort of not overthinking things too much. My main priority is looking after my body, making sure that when I’m able to hit the match court that I’m fully prepared for what’s to come, and I always believe in my tennis, so let’s see how far I can go.”
Having previously dealt with injury setbacks, Draper says experience has helped him better manage his return.
“I know from some of the injuries I have had in the past I have made mistakes coming back too early, and I think when you do come back too early, you can lose a lot of trust in your body. I haven’t had the sort of injury where I have not been able to be on court at all. I have been able to practice, been able to still get the reps in over a long period of time.
“I just haven’t been able to get to the point where I’m able to play at the highest intensity I want and go back to back as I’ve wanted and as I want to do on the Tour to make it again to be a top player. I don’t have any fear around my arm. I know that I’ve got great people around me. I’ve got good experience of it now, and so I just want to make sure that I’m doing all the right things to be able to just go week after week and stay on the Tour.”
There has also been a visible change since fans last saw him lift the trophy in Indian Wells, a fresh buzz cut marking what he describes as a reset.
“There is nothing like a buzz cut,” Draper said. “Honestly, you don’t have to do anything… I have just been out for a long period of time. Eight months is difficult. Especially in an individual sport, you become quite isolated. There is a lot of difficult moments, and when you come out of that and you start to feel better within yourself. [I] just fancied a fresh start.”
Draper will open against Fabian Marozsan or Roberto Bautista Agut and could meet Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Novak Djokovic led the congratulations for Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday after the WTA No. 1 announced her engagement to Georgios Frangulis ahead of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Sabalenka shared the news on social media, drawing messages from stars on both the WTA and ATP Tours. Among the first to respond was Djokovic, who has long shared a friendly rapport with Sabalenka, both on and off the court.
The 24-time major champion commented with three love hearts on Sabalenka’s Instagram post. The pair have often spoken highly of one another, and their camaraderie was on full display at Wimbledon last year when they teamed up for a light-hearted joint press conference appearance.
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Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and a two-time Indian Wells champion, also chimed in on Sabalenka’s post. “Congratulatiooooons!,” the Spaniard wrote.
American star Ben Shelton joined the chorus of support. “Congratsss,” the 23-year-old said.
The top-seeded Alcaraz and third-seeded Djokovic have landed in the same half of the draw at the ATP Masters 1000 event, which runs from 4-15 March. The 22-year-old Spaniard levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Djokovic at 5-5 after winning their Australian Open final in January to become the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam.
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Carlos Alcaraz, who is the top seed at the BNP Paribas Open, believes the key to his perfect 12-0 start in 2026 does not have to do with forehands and backhands.
“I think on the court I control my emotions even better. I would say that was the key of the good level of tennis that I have been playing lately,” Alcaraz said during his pre-tournament press conference. “Because on the court, I just control myself, and in a calm place I can find the solutions.”
The Spaniard completed his Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open and maintained his momentum with a run to the Doha title. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is channeling his mindset into wins early in the season.
“When I was getting mad or when I was playing bad or whatever, I just found the right way again, because I was calm,” Alcaraz said. “I was controlling myself and controlling my emotions and I was maintaining my good focus. I would say I was doing that even better than before.”
Alcaraz now is at a happy hunting ground at Indian Wells, where he owns a 20-3 record according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The 22-year-old claimed glory in the California desert in 2023 and 2024.
For the first time, Alcaraz arrives at Indian Wells undefeated. The top seed is full of confidence leading into the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event.
“I just [am] really proud about my start of the year,” Alcaraz said. “Hopefully the winning streak continues or I would try that, but I’m just happy to see myself playing great tennis.”
[NO 1 CLUB]Alcaraz will begin his pursuit of his third Indian Wells title against former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov or surging French lefty Terence Atmane.
“It’s been going really great, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “Feeling a little bit different compared to other years, but [I have had a] couple good practices. [I am] back and ready, so it’s been good and I’m excited to begin.”
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