Indian Wells
When will Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic play their first matches in Indian Wells?
Sinner in bottom half of the draw; Alcaraz & Djokovic in top
March 06, 2026
ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz practise ahead of the BNP Paribas Open.
By ATP Staff
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are set to headline action at the BNP Paribas Open.
Second seed Sinner, who is in the bottom half of the draw, will open his Indian Wells campaign on Friday, when he will face qualifier Dalibor Svrcina in the second round. The Italian has won all of the other five hard-court events at the ATP Masters 1000 level and is chasing his first title in the California desert.
Top seed Alcaraz, who is in the top half of the draw, will begin his bid for a third Indian Wells crown on Saturday. He will take on former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in his opening match. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings fell to eventual champion Jack Draper in the semi-finals in 2025.
You May Also Like: Alcaraz faces tricky opening test in Indian Wells, with Djokovic looming
Djokovic, who is in the same half of the draw as Alcaraz, will also start on Saturday, when he faces Kamil Majchrzak in his first match since the Australian Open final in January. The third seed is a five-time champion at the event and is seeking his 102nd tour-level title this fortnight.
Â