Indian Wells 2024 preview — Djokovic, Nadal, Osaka, Williams

Novak Djokovic makes his return after a five-year absence. Rafael Nadal and Venus Williams kick off their latest comeback bids. The game’s biggest names look to collect their latest hardware. The 2024 BNP Paribas Open — better known as Indian Wells — is upon us, and it is loaded with star power and potential blockbuster matches.

The desert showdown, held in Indian Wells, California, is often referred to as the year’s fifth major, and with jam-packed draws and the men’s and women’s singles champions each earning $1.1 million, this could be a tournament to remember.

The main draw of the ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event — which features 96 players in each of the singles draws and 32 teams in the respective doubles draws — gets underway on Wednesday. Here are the players and storylines you need to know before the competition starts.

What a difference a half-decade makes

When Djokovic last played at Indian Wells, he was the owner of just 15 major titles — five behind Roger Federer, who, at the time, was the record holder for most major titles by a male player.

Five years later, Djokovic makes his long-awaited return to the American hard-court spring series boasting 24 major titles — tied with Margaret Court for the most in history — and having long since surpassed Federer for the most weeks at No. 1. So, yes, it’s been awhile since Djokovic has played in the California desert and a lot has changed.

Djokovic has been absent since 2019, mostly because of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, and he returns as the event’s top seed, in search of his sixth title. But while he has firmly cemented himself at the top of the GOAT conversation since his last appearance, Djokovic has not played a match since he was upset by Jannik Sinner in the semifinals at the Australian Open in January. While the loss surely still stings and will provide even more motivation for a man who is never short of it, the result in Melbourne further showed young players that he is not invincible. And, in a best-of-three-sets format, anything is possible.

Djokovic remains a favorite to hoist the trophy, but it won’t be easy. He received a first-round bye, and will play either Aleksandar Vukic or a qualifier in his opener. He could potentially face Hubert Hurkacz or Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals before a possible showdown against Daniil Medvedev or Holger Rune (or Nadal!) in the semifinals.

“It’s been five years, way too long to not be part of