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Rafael Nadal - Indian Wells 2022, Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina - Indian Wells 2023, Novak Djokovic - Australian Open 2024

Indian Wells 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?


The first half of the sunshine double is almost here, with Indian Wells once again inviting the biggest stars from both the ATP and WTA Tours for the next fortnight.

And we, at Tennishead, have everything you need to know ahead of the tournament often dubbed as ‘the fifth major’:

When is Indian Wells 2024?

The main draw of Indian Wells will kick-off on Wednesday 6th March, concluding on Sunday 17th March with both singles finals.

Play for the day sessions will begin at 11am local time (7pm GMT), with night sessions starting at the later time of 6pm (2am GMT).

Qualifying will take place between Sunday 3rd March and Tuesday 5th March.

Where is Indian Wells held?

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Palm Springs, California, is hosting the tournament once again and has done since 1987.

In this complex there are a total of 29 hard courts, headlined by Stadium One, which is the second largest tennis-specific stadium in the world with a capacity of 16,100.

Stadium One is supported by the aptly named Stadium Two, which can hold a maximum of 8,000 people.

Who is playing at Indian Wells 2024?

Novak Djokovic is back at Indian Wells for the first time since 2019, with the record five-time champion playing his first tournament since losing in the Australian Open semi-final.

The Serb is the top seed in the desert, as he looks to move ahead of joint record holder Roger Federer, but has not claimed the Indian Wells title in eight years.

In the men’s draw Djokovic will be joined by other top seeds including defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner and 2023 runner-up Daniil Medvedev.

Three-time champion Rafael Nadal is also back, as he looks to continue what potentially could be his final year on the ATP Tour.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played since the Brisbane International, but seems to be fighting fit ahead of the Masters 1000 event.

Cameron Norrie and Taylor Fritz are the only other former champions in the men’s singles field, with the pair looking to recreate their victories from 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Wildcards have been given to former top 10 player Fabio Fognini, teenage sensation Jakub Mensik, and an American trio of Brandon Nakashima, Aleksandar Kovacevic and Patrick Kypson.

Iga Swiatek is the top seed in the women’s draw once again, with the 2022 champion looking to bounce back from her surprise straight sets defeat to Anna Kalinskaya in Dubai.

Other top seeds include last year’s finalists Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka, as well as US Open champion Coco Gauff.

Other former Indian Wells champions in the women’s singles field are two-time winner Victoria Azarenka, Naomi Osaka, Paula Badosa and Caroline Wozniacki.

Both Badosa and Wozniacki received wildcards for the draw, with the latter being awarded one as part of an initial duo with Venus Williams, who will be playing her first tournament since suffering a heavy opening round defeat at the US Open last year.

The remaining wildcards for the women’s singles draw have been awarded to 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova, and American’s Katie Volynets, Ashlyn Krueger and McCartney Kessler.


READ MORE – Novak Djokovic reveals ‘favourite Masters tournament’ ahead of long-awaited return


How many ranking points are on offer at Indian Wells 2024?

Not only is Indian Wells an extremely prestigious title to win, but it is also a very good opportunity for players to win generous ranking point offerings:

EventWFSFQFR16R32R64R128QQ2Q1
Men’s singles10006504002001005030*1020100
Men’s doubles600360180900
Women’s singles6503902151206535*1030202
Women’s doubles10

What is the prize money for Indian Wells 2024?

There is a whopping total of $19million prize money on offer at Indian Wells this year, and this is how it is broken down:

EventWFSFQFR16R32R64R128Q2Q1
Men’s singles$1,100,000$585,000$325,000$185,000$101,000$59,100$42,000$30,050$14,400$7,800
Women’s singles
Men’s doubles*$447,300$236,800$127,170$63,600$34,100$18,640
Women’s doubles*

*Per team

Previous winners of Indian Wells

Last year saw Carlos Alcaraz continue to impress on the ATP Tour, as he won the Indian Wells title without dropping a set, beating Daniil Medvedev in the final.

As a result, the Spaniard became the youngest player in history to win both legs of the sunshine double at just 19-years-old.

It was a more closely contested women’s singles final, as Elena Rybakina enacted revenge over Aryna Sabalenka from the Australian Open.

Here are all of the different singles and doubles champions from the last 10 Indian Wells events:

YearMen’s Singles ChampionWomen’s Singles ChampionMen’s Doubles ChampionsWomen’s Doubles Champions
2013Rafael Nadal (3)Maria Sharapova (2)Bob & Mike Bryan Ekaterina Masarova & Elena Vesnina (3)
2014Novak Djokovic (3)Flavia PennettaBob (2) & Mike Bryan (2)Hsieh Su-wei & Peng Shuai
2015Novak Djokovic (4)Simona Halep Vasek Pospisil & Jack SockMartina Hingis (2) & Sania Mirza (2)
2016Novak Djokovic (5)Victoria Azarenka (2)Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas MahutBethanie Mattek-Sands & CoCo Vandeweghe 
2017Roger Federer (5)Elena Vesnina Raven Klaasen & Rajeev RamChan Yung-jan & Martina Hingis (3)
2018Juan Martin del PotroNaomi OsakaJohn Isner & Jack Sock (2)Hsieh Su-wei (2) & Barbora Strycova 
2019Dominic ThiemBianca AndreescuNikola Mektic & Horacio ZeballosElise Mertens & Aryna Sabalenka
2020Not held due to Covid-19                    –                     –                       –
2021Cameron Norrie Paula BadosaJohn Peers & Filip Polasek Hsieh Su-Wei (3) & Elise Mertens (2)
2022Taylor FritzIga Swiatek John Isner (2) & Jack Sock (3)Xu Yifan & Yang Zhaoxuan 
2023Carlos AlcarazElena RybakinaRohan Bopanna & Matthew EbdenBarbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova 

How can you watch Indian Wells 2024?

You can watch all of the action at Indian Wells on Sky Sports Tennis in the United Kingdom or Ireland, and on Tennis Channel in the United States of America.

For more information on how you can watch one of the biggest events of the year in your location, visit the official tournament website here.


READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu and Venus Williams headline initial Miami Open wildcard list


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Matthew Johns, Tennishead Writer, is a professional tennis journalist with a specialist degree in Sports Journalism. He's a keen tennis player having represented his local club and University plus he's also a qualified tennis coach. Matthew has a deep knowledge of tennis especially the ATP Tour and thrives on breaking big tennis news stories for Tennishead.