LOS ANGELES — The BNP Paribas Open begins this week just as professional tennis hits a crossroads, navigating toward an uncertain future without the great rivalry among the "Big Three" of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the men's side and without Serena Williams' charisma and historic feats to set standards for the women.
Stars emerge, peak, decline. It's the cycle of athletic life on the court, ice, field or pitch. But as main-draw play begins Wednesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the sport is facing the absence — whether permanent or temporary — of many of its most recognizable stars from one of its biggest stages.
Tennis urgently needs successful, magnetic players to fill the void as an exceptional generation fades out. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, last year's U.S. Open men's champion at 19, and Iga Swiatek of Poland, who won the women's titles at Indian Wells and the U.S. Open last year, lead the next-generation conversation but haven't proved their longevity. They'd move the conversation significantly forward by winning at Indian Wells, where each is seeded No. 1.
