Carlos Alcaraz hailed as ‘Indian Wells favourite’ as one big rival is tipped to banish his demons
Andrey Rublev appears to be emerging from a troubled few months with fresh optimism and now he has been backed to make his mark in the upcoming Indian Wells Masters by respected broadcaster Marcus Buckland.
The Russian star is heading into the first ATP 1000 tournament of 2025 sitting at No 8 in the ATP Rankings and has bounced back into top form in recent weeks, with his win against Jack Draper in the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Doha last month impressive evidence of his current form.
Rublev has arrived in Indian Wells eager to improve on his recent showings in the Californian desert, where he has lost in the fourth round in 2023 and the third round last year.
His best showing came in 2022 as he lost in the semi-final against eventual champion Taylor Fritz, with Buckland admitting he was wrong to write off Rublev as a contender for the game’s major titles.
“I feel a bit guilty about Rublev as I have accused him of being a ‘flat track bully’ in the past,” former Sky Sports host Buckland told Tennis365.
“He has won a lot of matches in lower-ranked events, which would look great up to a certain point, but then never quite got it done in the big tournaments.
“We know about his record of not getting past quarter-finals in Grand Slams and how he struggles to get the job done at that level.
“It’s clear to all of us how much pain he goes through on court when things start to go wrong, but he was very honest in his comments about how much agony he goes through on court and that changed the perception of how a lot of people viewed Rublev.
“When he went public to explain how much he has been struggling mentally, I have so much respect for his honesty.
“Anyone that has played an individual sport knows that the pressures can be horrendous and after all he has been through, I’d love to see him win Indian Wells and maybe win a Slam in 2025.”
Buckland is also backing Rublev’s compatriot Daniil Medvedev to shine at Indian Wells, as he picked out a couple of American stars to look out for in front of their home fans.
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“After his eccentricities this week, I’ve got a feeling Medvedev is going to have a good tournament,” he continued, referring to Medvedev’s explosive clash with umpire Adel Nour in Dubai last week, when he accused the official of being ‘anti-Russian’.
“Medvedev has a good record in this tournament. He has made the final at Indian Wells over the last couple of years and tends to thrive in the conditions in Indian Wells.
“After a crazy match in Dubai the other day, I think he might have the bit between his teeth now and I would have him as my second favourite.
“It would be great to see one of the Americans going deep as well. They have six players in the seeded positions right now and Taylor Fritz is the player who could go well here.
“He won Indian Wells a couple of years back, but the question is over where he is with his fitness.
“Another one to look out for is Ben Shelton as he should thrive in these conditions with his big serve and the American crowd behind him.”
When picking his favourite for Indian Wells, Buckland can’t look past two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, but he concedes there are some question marks surrounding the 21-year-old Spaniard.
“Alcaraz is the defending champion, he’s going for the three-peat. Only Federer and Djokovic have managed that in the history of this tournament, so it’s not going to be easy,” he added.
“He doesn’t quite have that aura at the moment that he built up at the start of his career, as he has been a little more inconsistent of late, but I would have him as my favourite.”
The Indian Wells Masters get underway on Wednesday, with Tennis365 offering unrivalled coverage of the first ATP 1000 tournament of 2025.
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