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The 2023 BNP Paribas Open is the season's first Masters 1000 tournament on the ATP tour. The 49th edition of the event will take place from March 8-19.
Carlos Alcaraz leads the pack as the top seed, followed by Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and defending champion Taylor Fritz. The Spaniard has a shot at ascending to the top of the rankings if he wins the title.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic wasn't granted an exemption to the country's vaccine mandate in place, forcing him to skip the event for the second year in a row. With Rafael Nadal also sidelined due to an injury, the tournament is missing the sport's two biggest stars.
Despite Djokovic and Nadal's absence, there are plenty of high-profile names in the mix. The next generation of players will be keen to make a lasting impression with the veterans out of the way. On that note, here's all the relevant information about the tournament:
What is the BNP Paribas Open?
The inaugural edition of the event was held in 1974 in Tucson, Arizona, but wasn't officially considered to be a part of the tour. The tournament found a new home in Rancho Mirage, California, in 1976 and was held there until 1980.
The following year, it moved to La Quinta in the Golden State itself, where it continued until 1986. Since 1987, it has been held at its current venue in Indian Wells, California. The tournament was part of the Grand Prix tennis tour from 1977-1989, after which it became an ATP tour event.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are tied for most titles won here with five. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Juan Martin del Potro, and Rafael Nadal are some of the other notable former champions.
Venue
The BNP Paribas Open will be held on hardcourt (Plexipave) at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States.
Players
All seeded players are the recipients of a first-round bye. Carlos Alcaraz leads the top half of the draw, which includes defending champion Taylor Fritz, along with Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, and Tommy Paul.
Alcaraz could meet Brandon Holt in the second round, while Fritz is likely to commence his title defense against Ben Shelton. Andy Murray will take on Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his opener.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Frances Tiafoe have all landed in the bottom half of the draw. Gael Monfils is finally making his return from a lengthy injury lay-off and is up against Jordan Thompson in the first round.
Former BNP Paribas Open champion Dominic Thiem was drawn against Adrian Mannarino in the first round. Americans John Isner and Brandon Nakashima are also set for an opening-round showdown.
The full draw can be found here.
Schedule
The qualifying rounds are already underway and will conclude on March 7. The main-draw action will commence the following day on March 8. The quarterfinals are scheduled to take place over two days from March 15-16.
The semifinals are set for Saturday, March 18, along with the doubles final. The singles final will be held on Sunday, March 19. The official tournament schedule can be accessed here.
Prize Money
The total prize money for the 2023 BNP Paribas Open is $8,800,000. The winner will receive a cheque worth $1,262,220, coupled with 1000 ranking points. Here's a detailed breakdown of the prize money and ranking points:
Where to watch
Viewers in the US, Australia, UK and Canada can watch the BNP Paribas Open live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
UK: Fans in the UK can watch the proceedings live on Amazon Prime Video.
Australia: All matches will be telecast on beIN Sports.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TSN.
