2019 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells: Where to watch, Live Stream Details, TV Schedule and more

The first of the highly-anticipated nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments is here as the BNP Paribas Open kicks off at Indian Wells in California this week. The crème de la crème of the tennis world has descended in the desert as they aim to make a grand start to the North American hardcourt swing.

With Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer having won five titles each at this prestigious tournament, they will undoubtedly command the lion's share of attention. Rafael Nadal's record isn't too shabby either as he reigned supreme thrice.

The 128-player field sees the Serb as the top seed, who should be wary of the dangerous Nick Kyrgios to whom he has lost both his meetings so far. With the mercurial Australian emerging victorious in Acapulco, the World No. 1 cannot afford to make any mistake if he wants to post his first ever win over Kyrgios.

11th seed Borna Coric, winner at Halle last year, and 18th seed Gael Monfils, champion at Rotterdam this year, are the other names in the 15-time Grand Slam champion's quarter who could pose some threat.

After a bout of flu and an early defeat to Kyrgios in Acapulco, Nadal returns to Indian Wells as the second seed. 25th seed Diego Schwartzman does possess the stamina to stretch the Spaniard in their possible third round clash. Eighth seed John Isner and 12th seed Karen Khachanov would hope to halt The Bull's run but if the 17-time Grand Slam winner can find the serve and the hunger that he displayed in Melbourne, there's no reason why he cannot make it to the semi-finals.

Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are two of the most exciting youngsters to watch on the men's side. If Zverev has proved himself on the Tour and has consolidated his place in the top 10, the 20-year-old Greek gave a glimpse of his immense talent when he sent Federer packing at the Australian Open en route to the semis.

And the Indian Wells draw has thrown up a mouthwatering quarter-final encounter between them, provided the third seed Zverev and the ninth seed Tsitsipas each win three rounds to get there. Their paths are pretty thorny, though, with the German having to deal with the 13th seeded Milos Raonic while the Greek having to face the fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson before that.

Also Checkout: Tennis Schedule 2020

Fresh from winning a staggering 100th career title at Dubai, Federer will set his sights on a sixth crown at Indian Wells, being the fourth seed. Roger is in the same half as Rafa which pits the two legends for a probable 39th showdown if they both reach the semis.

Sixth seeded Kei Nishikori or the 10th seeded Marin Cilic could make the Swiss maestro work hard, other than which the 20-time Major winner should look good for a last-four appearance.

Here is all you need to know about the BNP Paribas Open

Tournament name: BNP Paribas Open

Date: March 7-17 2019

Category: ATP 1000 Masters

Location: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California

Surface: Hard

Defending champion: Juan Martin del Potro

Where to watch the BNP Paribas Open in the USA?

Tennis Channel will show the BNP Paribas Open live in the USA.

Where to watch the BNP Paribas Open in the UK & Europe?

Amazon Prime Video will show the BNP Paribas Open live in the UK. In France and Russia, Eurosport will telecast it while Sky will show it in Germany. Telefonica (Movistar+) will telecast it live in Spain and TV3 Sport will show it in Denmark. In Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, and Greece, Voosport, Max Sport, MTV, and Cosmote Sport will show it respectively.