- World No1 Novak Djokovic and 2022 runner-up Rafael Nadal are notable absentees 
- Cameron Norrie and Taylor Fritz are the last two winners of this event 
- Recommended bets:
- Back Stefanos Tsitsipas each-way 
- Back Holger Rune each-way

There is no Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal to contend with at Indian Wells this year, so top seed Carlos Alacaraz will be determined to show why he is considered as the rising force in tennis.

Djokovic withdrew from the competition amid a visa row regarding his Covid-19 vaccination status, while Nadal is forced to miss the trip to California due to injury.

That may make Alcaraz, priced at 6/1 with LiveScore Bet, the one to beat but he too has struggled with injury recently, withdrawing from a big-money Las Vegas exhibition event as well as a tournament in Acapulco in order to protect his hamstring.

That is enough to raise some sort of concern and he is housed in the top half of the draw alongside defending champion Taylor Fritz and young talents Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune and Felix Auger-Aliassime, so there are plenty of obstacles standing in his way.

Greek star could be primed for a deep run

There have been a few shock winners of the Indian Wells Masters in recent years with Norrie defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili to claim victory in 2021 and Fritz springing a surprise on Nadal in last year’s title decider.

After winning his last three tournaments in Rotterdam, Qatar and Dubai, many may feel Daniil Medvedev — the 3/1 favourite with LiveScore Bet — is the player to capitalise if Alcaraz falters.

However, the Russian has never gone beyond the fourth round of this event in five previous attempts and a revitalised Alexander Zverev is housed in his mini-section of the draw.

So perhaps Australian Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is versatile regarding conditions and should be suited to things playing slower in the dry desert air, is the player to focus on.

Tsitsipas, on offer at 15/2 with LiveScore Bet, has played only once since finishing runner-up to Djokovic in Melbourne, with him keeping himself fresh after losing in the round of 16 to Jannik Sinner in Rotterdam on February 16.

And although his quarter of the draw looks tough, the early rounds should not be of too much concern as Frances Tiafoe looks like his stiffest test before the quarter-finals.

Either Andrey Rublev or Norrie could be waiting in the last eight but a fully wound-up Tsitsipas would be expected to have their measure.

The Greek star made the quarter-finals of this event in 2021 and, with help from his devastating backhand, there is a strong chance he fares even better this time around.

Tsitsipas would be in line to face Medvedev, Zverev or Casper Ruud in the last four. 

However, Medvedev has been kept busy recently, Zverev may still be a few weeks away from his peak, while Norwegian Ruud has been in terrible form so far this year.

Danish talent Rune may be underestimated

Rune won an ATP 1000 event when lifting the Paris Masters last year and the dynamic Dane could have plenty to say at Indian Wells, where is available at 20/1 with LiveScore Bet.

The 19-year-old is still raw but he continues to improve at a rate of knots and has made the semi-finals in two of his last three events — the Open Sud De France and the Mexican Open.

Rune has landed in a decent section of the draw and while a fourth-round clash with Sinner is in the pipeline, the Dane may be underestimated for that one.

Already a three-time winner on the ATP Tour and a Grand Slam quarter-finalist, Rune has the ability to go all the way to the top and if Alcaraz underperforms then he could be an interesting each-way proposition in his bid to come through the top half of the draw.