By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, February 5, 2026
Photo credit: BNP Paribas Open Facebook
Australian Open champions Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina will head to Tennis Paradise next month.
Defending Indian Wells champions Mirra Andreeva and Jack Draper join the AO champions headlining the 2026 BNP Paribas Open field.
All of the Top 75-ranked men and women are entered in the Indian Wells field.
World No. 1 champions Aryna Sabalenka and 22-year-old Alcaraz are set to hold top seeded-status.
The two-time BNP Paribas Open champion Alcaraz (2023, 2024) enters Indian Wells fresh off making history as the youngest man in history to complete the career Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open, while Sabalenka will be looking to avenge her Australian Open final loss to Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina, the 2023 BNP Paribas Open champion, aims for a second career title in Indian Wells following her run in Melbourne that saw her capture a second Grand Slam trophy.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion and five-time BNP Paribas Open champion Novak Djokovic (Indian Wells winner in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016) has entered the field following his runner-up finish at the 2026 Australian Open – where he became the oldest player in tournament history to reach the final. Djokovic will aim to make his 17th career appearance in Tennis Paradise as he eyes what would be a record-breaking sixth BNP Paribas Open title.
Reigning champions Jack Draper and Mirra Andreeva enter the 2026 BNP Paribas Open looking to recapture glory after last year’s dream title runs.
The 24-year-old Briton claimed the biggest title of his young career last March, knocking off two-time defending champion Alcaraz in the semifinals and Holger Rune in the final to claim his maiden Masters 1000 title. The World No. 13 Draper, who has been sidelined since the US Open while recovering from an arm injury, is set to return representing Great Britain in Davis Cup competition this weekend against host Norway.
Andreeva’s 2026 title run proved to be just as magical with the teenage phenom becoming the youngest BNP Paribas Open champion since Serena Williams in 1999. She returns to the desert as the World No. 7, where she will aim to recreate the magic of her championship run that included a pair of thrilling wins over World No. 1 Sabalenka and two-time BNP Paribas Open champion Iga Swiatek (2022, 2024) in the final and semifinal respectively.
Other former champions eyeing another title in the desert include four-time Grand Slam champion and World No. 14 Naomi Osaka (2018), as well as World No. 65 Paula Badosa (2021). Returning men’s champions include top-ranked American and World No. 7 Taylor Fritz (2022) and World No. 26 Cameron Norrie (2021).
World No. 2 Jannik Sinner is set to make his return to Indian Wells after missing the 2025 event. Sinner will eye an elusive first career title in Tennis Paradise having reached the semifinal in 2023 and 2024. Other Top 5 talents on the ATP side include 2026 Australian Open semifinalist and World No. 4 Alexander Zverev, as well as Lorenzo Musetti – who broke into the Top 5 for the first time in his young career to start the 2026 season.
No American woman has captured the Indian Wells title since Serena Williams in 2001, and a talented group of top-ranked stars will be looking to break that drought in 2026. Two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova is the top-ranked American on the women’s side after reaching a career-high World No. 3 ranking this January. She’ll be joined by two-time Grand Slam champion and World No. 5 Coco Gauff and World No. 6 Jessica Pegula as the Americans with the best chance of breaking the title drought in the desert.
On the American men’s side, World No. 9 Ben Shelton joins Fritz as the Top 10 American players dreaming of a title run in Indian Wells. Former Grand Slam semifinalists Tommy Paul (World No. 22) and Frances Tiafoe (World No. 30) round out the list of Top 30 American players coming to Indian Wells, along with Southern California native and World No. 24 Learner Tien – who recorded the biggest result of his career with a quarterfinal run at the 2026 Australian Open.
World No. 20 Iva Jovic joins Tien as a newly minted Top 20 American and young talent to watch, with the 18-year-old Southern California native fresh off reaching a career-best quarterfinal at the 2026 Australian Open. Other top Americans fans can look forward to seeing compete on home soil include 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys (World No. 15) and 2024 US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro (World No. 17).
Other spotlight names on the player entry lists include two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini (World No. 8), 10x WTA Tour champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Belinda Bencic (World No. 9), 2026 Australian Open semifinalist Elina Svitolina (World No. 10), along with 10x ATP Tour champion Alex de Minaur (World No. 6), 2025 US Open semifinalist Felix Auger-Aliassime (World No.8), and two-time BNP Paribas Open finalist Daniil Medvedev (World No. 11).
The remaining spots in the singles player field will be filled by the winners of the qualifying tournament set to take place from March 1-3, as well as wild card recipients on each Tour who will be announced in the coming weeks. The doubles and mixed doubles player fields will be announced at a later date.
