Carlos Alcaraz’s unbeaten start to 2026 now heads to Indian Wells, where he will chase a third straight title in the California desert while Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic loom as the biggest threats in the season’s first Masters 1000.
Starting Wednesday, the Spanish world number one will try to become a three-time champion at the BNP Paribas Open, a tournament that has also been waiting on the arrival of a small group of players stranded in Dubai because of the Middle East war and resulting airspace closures.
Alcaraz arrives with a perfect 12–0 record in 2026, the best start of his young career. Asked Tuesday about Djokovic’s record 41-match winning streak to begin a season, set in 2011 and snapped by Roger Federer in the Roland Garros semifinals, Alcaraz said the scale of that achievement only becomes clear when you try to match it.
“You don’t realize how difficult it is until you attempt it,” Alcaraz said with a smile. “I only have 12. I know I’d still have to win four or five of the biggest tournaments in the world… I’m very proud of my start to the season and I hope the streak continues as long as I keep playing good tennis,” he added.
A possible Alcaraz–Djokovic rematch
Indian Wells has quickly become one of Alcaraz’s favorite stops. His 2026 run already includes his first Australian Open title in January, completing the career Grand Slam at age 22, younger than anyone before him. In mid-February, he added the ATP 500 trophy in Doha.
Now he is aiming to reclaim Indian Wells, where he won in 2023 and 2024, and to match the tournament’s three-time champions: Rafael Nadal, Jimmy Connors, and Michael Chang. Ahead of him, however, stand the five-title giants of the event, Roger Federer and Djokovic.
The draw could deliver a semifinal meeting between Alcaraz and Djokovic if both advance that far. Alcaraz will open against either Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov or France’s Térence Atmane. Djokovic could face France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.
Sinner, the third star in the field, sits on the other side of the bracket, with potential danger from American Ben Shelton and Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Sinner looking for a reset
Sinner did not play Indian Wells last year because of a suspension stemming from a positive test for clostebol at this same tournament in 2024. He cannot overtake Alcaraz for the ATP No. 1 ranking at Indian Wells, but a strong week would be a timely confidence boost after unexpected losses to Djokovic in Australia and Jakub Mensik in Doha.
“I’m trying to be a bit more aggressive at certain moments from the baseline,” Sinner said. Britain’s Jack Draper, meanwhile, faces a tough road as he tries to defend his title while dealing with injuries lingering since he withdrew from the US Open in August.
Women’s draw: Andreeva the target, Sabalenka chasing unfinished business
On the WTA side, the player to beat is 18-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva. Ranked eighth in the world, she opened 2026 by winning Adelaide (a WTA 500) but fell in the round of 16 at the Australian Open and is still searching for her first major final.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has unfinished business at Indian Wells. She lost last year’s final to Andreeva and the 2023 final to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion. Iga Swiatek, champion at Indian Wells in 2022 and 2024, will try to join the tournament’s three-time winners with another title.
Latin American contingent
Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo, ranked 20th, leads the Latin American group as the US hard-court swing begins. The Buenos Aires champion will be joined by compatriots Tomás Etcheverry and Sebastián Báez. One of the biggest question marks is Brazil’s João Fonseca. At 18, he won a first-round match at Indian Wells in 2025 before losing to Draper. This year he will open against Belgium’s Raphaël Collignon, looking to restart his season after early exits in Australia and Rio de Janeiro.
Players still stuck in Dubai
While most players have been preparing at “Tennis Paradise,” a small group has been unable to reach Indian Wells less than 48 hours before play begins. The ATP confirmed Monday that these players remain stranded in Dubai due to airspace closures linked to the Middle East war.
Russians Daniil Medvedev, the Dubai champion and a two-time Indian Wells runner-up (2023 and 2024), and Andrey Rublev were pulled from Tuesday’s mixed doubles but remain in the singles draw.
