Jannik Sinner’s entire history at Indian Wells as No.2 bids to stop Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner is already practising at Indian Wells but he must win there for the first time if he hopes to disrupt the year of Carlos Alcaraz.
2026 has been the season of Alcaraz so far with the World No.1 having won both tournaments he has entered while Sinner is looking to kickstart his year having previously suffered a shock early exit at the Wtara Open.
To do that though, he must win at a place where he never has before and take the Indian Wells crown having never reached the final in his previous four appearances.
Here’s how each of Sinner’s Indian Wells entries have gone down so far:
2021
Sinner’s first appearance in California came back in 2021 when he reached the fourth round as a 20-year-old.
The Italian was the No.10 seed for the tournament but only actually won one match in the tournament as his third round opponent, John Isner, was forced to retire before the clash.
In the fourth round, he was comfortably beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Taylor Fritz.
He did however reach the final of the Miami Open that year.
2022
Having benefited from a walkover in 2021, Sinner was on the wrong end of one the following season.
He was again No.10 seed and cruised through the second round before a three-set match against B Bonzi in the third.
Ahead of a highly anticipated matchup against wildcard Nick Kyrgios, Sinner was forced to retire through illness which at the time raised questions about whether the young Italian had the fitness needed to be a top-level player.
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2023
In the career of Sinner, 2023 can be seen as a turning point and one when he moved from being potential to the real thing.
While Grand Slam success still eluded him – his best result was a semi-final at Wimbledon – he started the ATP 1000 year with two semi-finals and a final appearance.
At Indian Wells, he entered as No.11 seed and made his way past R Gasuet, A Mannariano and Stan Warrinka before facing Fritz in the quarter-finals.
Sinner enacted revenge for his 2021 defeat with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win but ran into future rival Alcaraz in the semi-final.
In what was their fifth meeting by that point, Alcaraz prevailed and went on to win the tournament.
2024
Sinner’s latest appearance in the California tournament was back in 2024 where he again reached the semi-finals.
He entered as No.3 seed, his highest to date, and was in the middle of a 19-match winning streak before his exit.
Sinner did not lose a set before the semi-final when he again met Carlos Alcaraz.
A 6-1 score for the Italian in the first set suggested it was he who would get the better of the Spaniard but Alcaraz hit back to win the next two sets and the match.
As was the case in 2023, Alcaraz went on to win the final.
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