Alternative rankings list reveal Carlos Alcaraz will face new threats at Indian Wells
The Indian Wells Masters is about to get underway in California, with Carlos Alcaraz looking to win the title for a third successive year.
With world No 1 Jannik Sinner absent as he serves his three-month suspension for failing a drugs test at Indian Wells last year, Alcaraz is the first favourite to lift the title at a tournament where he always feels at home.
Yet a glance at the ATP Race standings suggests the young Spaniard could face some new threats from in-form players who will be keen to chase the big prize money and ranking points up for grabs in Indian Wells.
The ATP Race rankings are based on results in 2025, with this calculation producing an end-of-year top eight that gain entry to the ATP Finals in Turin next November.
Sinner tops the ATP Race rankings after he claimed 2,000 ranking points in the only tournament he played this year so far at the Australian Open.
World No 2 Alexander Zverev is in second place in the ATP Race rankings after his run to the Australian Open final, yet it is the names just below that who could be among worth watching at Indian Wells.
Felix Auger-Aliassime (ATP Race position – 3rd)
This Canadian opted against playing in the Davis Cup for Canada last November as he took some time away from the sport to recharge his energies ahead of the 2025 season.
That decision has repeated some impressive rewards this year as Auger-Aliassime has more wins on his record than any other player in the men’s game.
His run to the Dubai Final saw him take his match win tally for this season to 15 and he is heading to Indian Wells in confident form.
“I feel like I’ve been digging very deep and pushing my body a lot these last few weeks,” said Auger-Aliassime after he lost against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Dubai final.
“I feel like I need a bit of reset to rest, train again, work on my things and be outside of the match court for a few days. I’m positive after that I’ll have the right energy to step back into the competition.
“It’s been a great first two months. I can’t complain. Tennis is never perfect. Maybe Roger in 2005, ‘6. Never perfect. You try to improve all the time. You try to learn from matches like this. I’m positive I’ll have my chances to win big trophies this year.”
Ben Shelton (ATP Race position – 5th)
The big-serving American made it through to the Australian Open semi-finals and he will fancy his chance of making a mark in front of his home fans at Indian Wells and then in Miami.
Shelton suffered a setback as he was beaten by Spain’s Jaume Munar and he will be keen to improve on his performance in this tournament last year, after he lost in the last-16 against Sinner.
“I know I’m close. I know my level’s close,” says Shelton.
“I know I have a lot of the stuff that I need. I certainly believe in myself. I just think that the reps against those guys, the consistency of playing those guys, playing a lot of matches in a week or a couple weeks, that will be the goal this year for me.
“I think that those guys… Sinner, Alcaraz, Novak, the guys who have been dominating in the slams over the last two years – I mean, Novak, but you know what I mean. Since I’ve been on tour, the guys that have been dominating the slams. On their bad days they’re still winning in three sets, winning in four sets. They figure it out.
“I’m getting closer to being able to do that. Not having a good serving day or serving week and having a great tournament is a huge positive for me. It’s like being able to recognize the flaws in what I did, in my game, against some of these guys, being able to go back to the drawing board. It gives me a lot of confidence.”
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Tomas Machac (ATP Race position – 8th)
The Czech star has been knocking on the door of a breakthrough at the top of the men’s game and he came when he landed his first ATP Tour title in Acapulco to start this month on a real high.
Machac beat Jakub Mensik, Daniel Altmaier, Learner Tien, Brandon Nakashima and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to win in Mexico and he will head to Indian Wells oozing with confidence.
“It means a lot,” he said after his maiden ATP Tour win. “It is something I never dreamed could happen. Especially at an ATP 500, so it feels amazing for me.
“I was working very hard in the past year, so I am happy I can achieve something that shows me I am going the right way.
“I will now try to recover and be ready for Indian Wells as I feel a little bit injured but hopefully it is nothing serious. I have work to do and after I will celebrate.”
LOOK OUT FOR
Denis Shapovalov (ATP Race position – 9th)
An early contender for comeback player of 2025, this Canadian has bounced back to his best form with ten wins from the 14 matches he has played.
He dropped outside of the top 100 in the rankings last year as he struggled with a persistent injury, but this talented player is looking dangerous once again and with limited ranking points to defend over the next few months, he has a big chance to take big strides forward.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (ATP Race position – 15th)
Tsitsipas had a challenging start to 2025, but he exploded back to form Dubai last week.
A change of racket and a surge in confidence contributed to some of the best performances Tsitsipas has served up in recent years in the desert, as he lifted his first ATP 500 title.
It remains to be seen whether he is jaded after that win, but he will be hoping to continue his surge in form.
Luca Nardi (ATP Race position – 30th)
Nardi stunned the tennis world as he beat Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells last year and he is returning in confident mood.
His run to the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai was the perfect warm-up for his Californian return and with his compatriot Sinner absent in Indian Wells, he could be a contender to fly the Italian flag in the first ATP 1000 event of the season.
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