Hometown hero Fritz, No.1 Swiatek eye title defences at Indian Wells

LOS ANGELES : Taylor Fritz's bid to retain his Indian Wells crown is boosted by a depleted men's field while Iga Swiatek will look to become the first woman to go back-to-back in the desert in three decades when main draw action kicks off on Wednesday.

A year ago Fritz overcame a painful ankle injury suffered on the morning of the final to beat Spanish great Rafa Nadal and reach the promised land in "Tennis Paradise".

The Southern Californian native will not have to worry about seeing Nadal again after the 22-time major champion chose to skip the event to rehabilitate a hip injury.

Also missing from action is world number one Novak Djokovic, the tournament's five-time champion who withdrew on the eve of the draw after his request for a waiver to enter the U.S. despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19 was unsuccessful.

The Serb has not played Indian Wells or the Miami Open, which together comprise the "Sunshine Double," since 2019.

The diminished field opens the door for a variety of players looking to use the prestigious tournament as a springboard into the rest of the year.

World number two Carlos Alcaraz could regain the top ranking he captured after winning last year's U.S. Open with the title and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece has a chance to ascend to the peak for the first time by taking the crown.

Former world number one Daniil Medvedev of Russia is riding a hot hand having won three consecutive tournaments but has never reached the quarters at Indian Wells in five appearances.

Veteran Andy Murray will look to keep his positive early season momentum rolling as he hunts for his first title at the Masters 1000 event.

Swiatek is favourite to become the first woman to win successive tournaments since Martina