Indian Wells begins on Wednesday 5 March, and with it, the lengthy build-up to a busy summer of tennis. The tournament – a combined WTA and ATP event – is one of the most prestigious and best-attended on the calendar outside of the four majors, to the point that it’s sometimes referred to as the ‘fifth grand slam’.
Following a month of tournaments all over the world, with half the top competitors jetting across the Middle East and the other half playing the ‘Golden Swing’ in South America, it’s the first time since the Australian Open that many of the best will all be in the same draw. With 192 players in action across an eventful two weeks, we picked out the five key storylines to follow at this year’s tournament.
