Carlos Alcaraz has won the last two editions of the Indian Wells Masters (at Daniil Medvedev’s expense), and he’s aiming for a rare three-peat this year. The Indian Wells Masters 2025 odds have him as one of the favourites to win it all in California, but that doesn’t mean he won’t face stiff competition along the way. The Spaniard will have Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, and Novak Djokovic as some of his top adversaries.
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner’s absence helps Alcaraz’s three-peat bid since the Italian is the top-ranked player in the ATP. Don’t be surprised if Sinner eventually slides down in the pecking order.
The tennis action is about to heat up in California, and SBOTOP is here for some of the most relevant Indian Wells Masters 2025 updates.
Alcaraz ready for the challenge
Carlos Alcaraz will attempt to become just the third man alongside Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to win three straight titles at Indian Wells. The 21-year-old arrives in California with an 11-2 record for the season after winning in Rotterdam and reaching the quarter-finals in Doha and Melbourne.
“This tournament, every time that I come here, I enjoy so much practicing, playing. Everything for me here is so easy. So I will try not to think about it, just flow and see how it’s going to be, the tournament. But it is something that for me would be great to achieve,” Alcaraz told reporters.
Standing in the Spaniard’s way is Djokovic, whom he could meet in the quarter-finals, assuming there are no upsets in the earlier rounds. Djokovic has a 5-3 edge over Alcaraz in their head-to-heads, including a quarter-final win in four sets during the Australian Open last January.
Alcaraz added he continues to work on his serve ahead of the competition. He has emphasised it because he logged in at only 30th on the ATP Tour in first-serve points won last season (73-per cent) and was 12th in the vital service games won category (85.4-per cent). He aims to achieve “serve-bot” status, but if it doesn’t work, he is confident that his solid baseline play will be enough to compensate.
Djokovic eyes title record
Novak Djokovic has won five Indian Wells Masters titles, and winning another one will have him leapfrog Roger Federer as a record six-time champion.
The Serbian international is not in the best form (by his lofty standards) heading into Indian Wells. Djokovic made it to the Australian Open semi-finals but had to retire due to an injury, and he suffered an early exit at the hands of Matteo Berrettini during the Qatar Open last month. He may be a five-time champion, but Djokovic hasn’t advanced beyond the fourth round since 2017.
Djokovic made the bold move of having Andy Murray as one of his coaches in California. Murray is a three-time Grand Slam winner, so his experience should aid Djokovic’s quest.
“I expressed my desire to continue the collaboration with him, so I am really glad he did accept,” Djokovic said about working with Murray. “It is indefinite in terms of how long we are going to work together, but we agreed most likely in the States and some clay-court tournaments. We will see how it goes after that.”
Djokovic might have Nick Kyrgios as his first opponent at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters if the Australian overcomes his wrist injury and makes it past the qualifiers.
Sinner banned to compete until May
Less than a month after winning his second consecutive Australian Open title, Jannik Sinner received a three-month ban in settlement of his doping case. Sinner was punished for having trace amounts of Clostebol in his doping sample last year, but he explained that he had it due to a massage from a trainer who used the prohibited substance after cutting his finger.
Sinner will not compete in Indian Wells, but the convenient timing of his three-month suspension means he won’t miss any Grand Slam tournaments, including the French Open on May 25. The 23-year-old could return to action as soon as the Italian Open in Rome, which starts on May 7 (three days after the final day of his ban).
He stands to lose 1,600 points due to the ban: 1,000 points from his Miami Open title last March, 400 points from reaching the Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals last April, and 200 points from making the Madrid Open quarter-finals. Alexander Zverev could take the top spot of the ATP rankings if he wins titles while Sinner is out.
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