Over the next week we head to the desert for the first half of the so called Sunshine Double in what is dubbed by many as the fifth Grand Slam, the Indian Wells Open. Now it is time to have your say with our poll.
Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed as the current World No.1 with iga Swiatek as the current champion having defeated Maria Sakkari last season.
But what about the chasing pack? There is Coco Gauff who albeit has not had the best start to the season. Something she has hit out on and hit back at the critics in the past day. She reached the semi-finals last year.
While Elena Rybakina is another player to watch. She on the other hand has had steady results this season for a player who in reality is going through some turmoil due to the ban of her favoured coach Stefano Vukov.
She has made her feelings known despite the damning evidence against him and will aim to win the title she won in 2022 without his guidance. But she has still been playing well even without him. Jessica Pegula leads a group of players in the top ten who in reality could be seen as standard bearers.
Pegula won the ATX Open in Austin last week sweeping aside McCartney Kessler and missed most of the early part of last season. So it is all growth from here on out back to her top game. Madison Keys showed that top game in Melbourne sealing the Australian Open title. She returns for the first time since then after she made changes which proved to be miraculous and saw her in a different standing to before.
Madison Keys finally returns after Australian Open glory.
Others include Mirra Andreeva who won in Dubai, Paula Badosa albeit is an injury doubt after pulling up at the Merida Open Akron with her back issue. Emma Navarro won that tournament and returns to the US for a stint which also features her home tournament, the Charleston Open.
So in reality, she will be raring to go for this part of the season. There is also Zheng Qinwen who has Pere Riba back in the fold after he has been missing all season. Is that what she needs to kick start her year off? Vote below before the tournament starts on Wednesday evening.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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