2020 BNP PARIBAS OPEN PLAYER ENTRY LISTS FEATURE ALL TOP 75 RANKED WTA AND ATP TOUR SINGLES PLAYERS
Nine Former Champions Including Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, Roger Federer, Bianca Andreescu, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and More Headline Star-Studded Fields
15-Year Old Coco Gauff To Make Her First Appearance In Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, Calif., January 29, 2020 – The BNP Paribas Open, to be held March 9-22 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, released its player entry lists today, which are highlighted by all of the top 75 ranked singles players on the WTA and ATP Tour, including nine former champions.
Former BNP Paribas Open champions Dominic Thiem (2019); Bianca Andreescu (2019); Naomi Osaka (2018); Simona Halep (2015); Novak Djokovic (2008, 2011, 2014-2016); Roger Federer (2004-2006, 2012, 2017); Rafael Nadal (2007, 2009, 2013); Serena Williams (1999; 2001); and Victoria Azarenka (2012, 2016) will descend on the desert in 2020 with hopes of adding another title to their name.
World No. 5 Thiem returns to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden where last year he overcame five-time champion Federer in a come-from-behind victory to claim his maiden Masters 1000 title and propel himself into a career-best season. It was the teenage Andreescu, however, who captured the attention of the tennis world by becoming the first female wild card ever to win at Indian Wells. Andreescu continued her magical year with her first Grand Slam title at the US Open, following in the footsteps of 2018 champion Osaka in accomplishing the dual feat.
The current WTA World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty will seek her first title in the desert, after a 2019 season that saw her win her first major title at the 2019 French Open and ascend to the World No. 1 ranking for the first time; while ATP Tour World No. 1 Nadal eyes a fourth title overall and first since 2013. Nadal’s 2019 season was one of the best of his career, winning two Masters 1000 titles (Rome, Montreal) and two Grand Slams (Roland Garros, US Open) to re-capture the top spot in the rankings.
Twenty-time major winner and World No. 3 Federer also returns to the desert in search of a record-setting sixth Indian Wells title. The Swiss has reached the finals each of the last two years, extending his record 67 match wins at the event. Djokovic, who won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2019 to bring his Grand Slam total to 16, will also look towards an unprecedented sixth Indian Wells crown.
23-time major singles champion and two-time BNP Paribas Open champion Williams returns to the desert hard courts hoping to become the first-ever WTA player to win three titles at the event. Two-time Grand Slam champion Halep, who captured the title in Indian Wells in 2015, will look to add a second Indian Wells crown to her resume; while two-time champion Azarenka will also return to the desert in her first tournament since the 2019 US Open.
A number of Top 10 players from both the WTA and ATP Tour will look to raise the trophy in the desert for the first time, including World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev, World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas, World No. 7 Alexander Zverev, World No. 8 Matteo Berrettini, World No. 9 Roberto Bautista Agut and World No. 10 Gael Monfils. On the women’s side, World No. 2 Karolina Pliskova, World No. 5 Elina Svitolina, World No. 7 Belinda Bencic, World No. 8 Petra Kvitova and World No. 10 Kiki Bertens will be in search of their maiden BNP Paribas Open titles.
Making her inaugural appearance at the BNP Paribas Open will be 15-year-old Coco Gauff. Over the past eight months she has captivated the tennis world by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon, the third round at the US Open and the fourth round at the Australian Open last week. Gauff will be joined in Indian Wells by top 20-ranked Americans Madison Keys (No. 11), Sofia Kenin (No. 15), Alison Riske (No. 19), and John Isner (No. 19).
The remaining spots in the draws will be filled by the winners of the Qualifying Tournament (March 9-11), the top two American women and men with the most points in the Oracle Challenger Series, and wild card recipients, who will be announced in the coming weeks.
The 2020 BNP Paribas Open will welcome players and fans from around the world to Tennis Paradise, highlighting the idyllic and majestic beauty of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, as well as the incredible offerings that make the tournament one of the world’s most alluring and enjoyable sporting events. For more information about the BNP Paribas Open and to purchase tickets to the 2020 event, visit bnpparibasopen.com.
