Age: The tournament was relocated from Tucson, Arizona to the Coachella Valley in 1976, which makes it 46.
Appearance: Clear blue skies. Blazing sunshine. Blustery wind. Thin, dry air that makes the ball fly despite the slow courts. Even slower balls. Palm trees. Look, it’s in the middle of the California desert – what were you expecting?
Didn’t we do this back in October? Indeed we did, with Paula Badosa of Spain and Britain’s Cameron Norrie taking the spoils.
What are we doing back here already then? Hopefully it’s a sign that some kind of normality is returning to the tennis calendar. Last year’s event was moved from its usual March slot due to the pandemic. Now the tournament is back where it belongs.
So is that Serbian chap playing, the one who doesn’t like needles? If you’re referring to Novak Djokovic, then no. You need proof of Covid vaccination to get into the United States, so he’s had to pull out. Although there was a bit of confusion when the draw went ahead with his name still in the hat.
Didn’t that mess things up a bit? In a word, yes. Grigor Dimitrov has replaced Djokovic at the foot of the draw, João Sousa gets in as a lucky loser, and Andrey Rublev is now the highest seed remaining in the bottom quarter. It’s potentially good news for Andy Murray, though, who no longer has to worry about a possible third round meeting with Djokovic.
Wouldn’t it have been easier if Djokovic had just withdrawn earlier? You could say that. Apparently he was hoping there might be a late change to the US entry rules.
Didn’t he say he was willing to miss tournaments in order to remain unvaccinated? He did.
Did he at least apologise for disrupting the draw? He did not.
How will all this affect the tournament? It won’t. The show goes on, with world No 1 Daniil Medvedev projected to meet Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals – although the Russian will potentially need to negotiate a tricky quarter-final against either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Norrie – and Alexander Zverev the highest seed remaining in the opposite half.
Zverev? You mean the German guy with a grudge against umpires’ chairs and an apparent penchant for the F-word? The very same.
Didn’t he get banned after what happened in Acapulco? No. The ATP just put him on probation for a year. An eight-week suspension and a fine await if he does anything similar before 22 February 2023.
What if he does it on 23 February 2023? Apparently that’s fine.
I see. So should we expect to see him in the final? Not necessarily. Although he’s the third seed, the German has gone off the boil a little since ending last season on a high with his second ATP Finals crown. Much will depend on how he copes with the fallout from his Mexican Open expulsion.
Rublev to play Medvedev in an all-Russian final then? Perhaps, but the conflict in Ukraine is bound to have a bearing. Rublev recently scrawled the message: “No war please” on a TV camera in Dubai, where he went on to win his second title of the year. Medvedev, who will be playing his first tournament since dethroning Djokovic as world No 1, has said he is “all for peace”. Keeping the focus purely on tennis will be challenging for both men. Plus, Medvedev has already lost twice this season to Nadal, who is unbeaten in 2022 and will be going for a fourth successive title. The smart money is on Rafa.
How about the women? A first title for Ashleigh Barty? Nope. Barty pulled out of Indian Wells and Miami, where she would have been the defending champion, because she’s still recovering from her triumph at the Australian Open. Danielle Collins, the beaten finalist in Oz, is also crocked. And before you ask, world No 2 Barbora Krejcikova won’t be winning it either – she’s out with an arm injury.
That’s quite a casualty list. Any good news? Well, Naomi Osaka is back in action for starters. She’ll play former US Open champion Sloane Stephens in what promises to be the match of the opening round. And Karolina Pliskova will finally get her season underway after recovering from the hand injury she suffered before the Australian Open. She’s seeded seventh and will start against Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic, who beat Emma Raducanu at Melbourne Park. Talking of Raducanu, she’s also clambered off the treatment table after succumbing to injury at the Guadalajara Open last month. She’ll play either Lyon finalist Dayana Yastremska or Caroline Garcia, the French former world No 4, in her opener.
And the title favourite is? After Krejcikova’s late withdrawal, second seed Aryna Sabalenka is the highest-ranked player left in the draw. Whether that makes her the favourite is another question. She made the last eight at the Qatar Open the other week, but wins have otherwise been hard to come by this year for the Belarusian. Iga Swiatek, the highest seed left in the top half, looks a better bet.
Isn’t Swiatek a clay-court specialist? Well she reached the Australian Open semis and hammered Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 6-0 to win the title in Qatar, so it’s safe to say she’s broadening her horizons. More troublesome than the surface could be the talented Danish teenager Clara Tauson, a possible second-round opponent. Not to mention a projected quarter-final against Garbiñe Muguruza, if the unpredictable Spaniard can find some form. But Swiatek has the power to get the ball through the court and the spin to keep it in play, a useful combination given the playing conditions. She has the game and the form to capitalise on the gaping hole left in the top half of the draw by Krejcikova’s withdrawal.
How about Badosa? She seemed to like the conditions well enough last year. Badosa has yet to find her feet in 2022, but there’s nothing like returning to a place where you’ve enjoyed success in the past for stirring the competitive juices. A repeat of last October’s title-winning run would really ignite her season. She’ll have her work cut out, though. The Spaniard, seeded fifth, has been drawn in the third quarter, where danger lurks at every turn. Osaka and fourth seed Kontaveit loom large, while the resurgent Jelena Ostapenko, the champion in Dubai and beaten finalist in Qatar, will also want to have her say. And let’s not forget Jessica Pegula, a quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park. Whoever makes it out of that quarter will have a good shot at making the final.
So you’re basically saying you have no idea what will happen? Not a clue. Isn’t that what makes it exciting?