Rafael Nadal will face a clash with former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic on his return to action at the BNP Paribas Open, live on Sky Sports.
The Spaniard, a three-time winner at Indian Wells, is making only his second appearance of the year after reaching the quarter-finals of an ATP 250 event in Brisbane in the first week of the season.
That marked Nadal’s return from a hip flexor injury which had sidelined him for nearly a year, although he was then forced to miss the Australian Open due to a muscle tear.
The 37-year-old was a finalist at Indian Wells on his last appearance at the desert venue two years ago and if he successfully navigates his match against Raonic, he faces a showdown with No 7 seed Holger Rune in round two.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, Andy Murray has a potential clash with No 5 seed Andrey Rublev on the horizon if he wins his first-round match against a yet-to-be-determined qualifier.
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Highlights of the Dubai Tennis Championships semi-final match between Andrey Rublev and Alexander Bublik
Murray’s fellow Brits Dan Evans and Jack Draper have been drawn against Roman Safiullin and Christopher O’Connell respectively.
Evans’ potential second-round opponent is No 28 seed Sebastian Korda, while victory for Draper would set up a meeting with No 6 seed Alexander Zverev.
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A look back to how last year’s Indian Wells went down
Meanwhile, 2021 men’s singles champion Cam Norrie will take on either Lorenzo Sonego or Miomir Kecmanovic after receiving a bye to the second round due to being seeded No 28.
In the women’s tournament, Emma Raducanu will take on a yet-to-be-determined qualifier for the right to face No 30 seed Dayana Yastremska in the second round after being handed a wildcard entry.
Katie Boulter, winner of last week’s San Diego Open, has not earned a bye and therefore plays Italy’s Camilia Georgi in the first round, with the winner of that match up against No 26 seed Linda Noskova.
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Katie Boulter takes home a surfboard, following her sensational comeback win over Marta Kostyuk in the San Diego Open final, sealing a first WTA title
Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight showdown with Francis Ngannou takes place on Friday March 8, live on Sky Sports Box Office with the main event expected around 11pm.
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