Three-time Indian Wells champion Rafael Nadal returns to action after missing the Australian Open due to injury; Andy Murray could face Andrey Rublev if he gets through his first-round match; Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter will both be in first-round action in the women's singles
Wednesday 6 March 2024 10:54, UK
Rafael Nadal faces former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic on his return to action at the BNP Paribas Open, live on Sky Sports.
The Spaniard, a three-time winner at Indian Wells, will face No 7 seed Holger Rune in the second round should he make it through. The 37-year-old is making only his second appearance of the year, with a muscle tear forcing him to miss the Australian Open.
Elsewhere in the men's draw, Andy Murray has a potential clash with No 5 seed Andrey Rublev on the horizon if he wins his first-round match against qualifier David Goffin on Wednesday - part of a British triple-bill live on Sky Sports Tennis on the opening day of the tournament.
Jack Draper kicks things off when he faces Christopher O'Connell from 7pm on Wednesday, while Katie Boulter - fresh from her victory in last week's San Diego Open - is due on court at 9pm for her match against Camila Giorgi, with Murray to follow from approximately 11pm.
The winner of Boulter's match will face No 26 seed Linda Noskova in the second round, while victory for Draper would set up a meeting with No 6 seed Alexander Zverev.
Fellow Brits Emma Raducanu and Dan Evans, along with Nadal, are in action on Thursday, while Cam Norrie and Novak Djokovic will join the tournament in the second round.
Raducanu will face Spanish qualifier Rebeka Masarova, while Evans is up against Roman Safiullin. Lying in wait for the pair in the next round of the respective women's and men's draws would be No 30 seed Dayana Yastremska and No 29 seed Sebastian Korda.
Norrie, 2021 men's singles champion at Indian Wells, will take on either Lorenzo Sonego or Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round due to being seeded No 28.
Djokovic will play the winner of the first-round tie between Shintaro Mochizuki and Aleksandar Vukic.
Elsewhere, Harriet Dart fell in the final qualifying round at Indian Wells with a straight-sets defeat to Liv Hovde, losing 6-2 6-3.
Britain's Liam Broady too lost in the final round of the men's qualifying tournament, going down in straight sets, 6-1 6-1, to Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild, the top seed.
Anthony Joshua's heavyweight showdown with Francis Ngannou takes place on Friday March 8, live on Sky Sports Box Office with the main event expected around 11pm.
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