The BNP Paribas draw ceremony was conducted at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Monday.
Alexander Zverev is the top seed since world No. 1 Jannik Sinner is serving a three-month suspension, but the draw did him no favors for the second-ranked German. Zverev’s first match will come against either Tallon Griekspoor or Delray Beach champion Miomir Kecmanovic prior potential dates with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (third round), Acapulco winner Tomas Machac (fourth round), and Dubai champ Stefanos Tsitsipas (quarterfinals).
The other section in the top half of the bracket is even more wide open. Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev are among the favorites on paper, but Ruud has never played great in Indian Wells and a struggling Medvedev has never made any secret about his disdain for these desert conditions.
A new court surface could help the Russian, but he still doesn’t inspire much confidence given that he has not won a single title since the 2023 Rome Masters. Also watch out for Brisbane champion Jiri Lehecka and world No. 11 Tommy Paul, who temporarily broke into the top 10 for the first time in his career last month.
Carlos Alcaraz’s quarter is without question the most notable. The two-time defending Indian Wells champ is on a collision course for the quarterfinals with Novak Djokovic. Of course, Djokovic won’t be looking ahead.
The 37-year-old Serb has not won a match since the Australian Open and his opener in the desert could come against Nick Kyrgios. Elsewhere in this section, Alex de Minaur and Denis Shapovalov are both in fine form a could content for a semifinal spot if not even the title.
The bottom half of the bracket also features Taylor Fritz, who lifted this trophy in 2022. Possible second-round matchups in the Fritz quarter include Ben Shelton vs. Learner Tien and Jack Draper vs. Joao Fonseca.