Jannik Sinner’s surprise Indian Wells doubles partnership faces unexpected setback
Jannik Sinner is undoubtedly one of the greatest singles players of his era — but will we get the chance to see the Italian back in doubles action soon?
The four-time Grand Slam champion is looking to play doubles alongside Reilly Opelka in Indian Wells next month, though the two are not yet guaranteed the opportunity to compete.
We look at how and why the pair joined forces, and why both Sinner and Opelka will have to wait and see if they get the chance to take to court together at Tennis Paradise.
Why Sinner and Opelka have teamed up
Though the majority of top men’s singles players do not often play doubles on the ATP Tour, Indian Wells is one event that often attracts a high-profile doubles field.
And world No 2 Sinner is hoping to be a part of that this year, with the Italian teaming up with American ace Opelka in the Indian Wells entry list.
The pair have, in fact, won an ATP Tour title together, with Sinner and Opelka teaming up to beat Steve Johnson and Jordan Thompson in the 2021 Atlanta Open final.
That remains the only final that Sinner has ever reached at tour-level in doubles, while it is also the only tour-level title that either man has won in that format.
Opelka had lost three doubles finals before that Atlanta Open triumph, but much like Sinner, is best known for his singles exploits.
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The American has won four ATP Tour singles titles and reached a high of 17th in the ATP Rankings back in 2022.
The 28-year-old battled with a significant wrist injury across 2023 and 2024, and is currently ranked 69th in the world.
Why could they miss the chance to play?
News of Sinner and Opelka’s Indian Wells partnership emerged over the weekend and quickly attracted a lot of attention.
However, the full entry list for the Masters 1000 event has now been released, and the pair are currently set to miss out on a main draw spot.
As things stand, with several late sign-ups to the event, Sinner and Opelka are only the fourth alternates for the men’s doubles event in Tennis Paradise.
That means that they will need four teams to withdraw from the tournament, which, while certainly possible, is far from guaranteed.
Unsurprisingly, several of the ATP Tour’s leading doubles stars are in action, with Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers — the reigning French Open and US Open champions — set to be the top seeds.
Wimbledon champions Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool are set to be seeded second, with reigning Indian Wells champions Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic the third seeds, as things stand.
However, a string of top singles players are also entered into the main draw.
Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev are set to team up, with the pair having previously won the 2023 Madrid Open and reaching a further two Masters 1000 finals as a partnership.
Other notable singles partnerships include Arthur Fils and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, cousins Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech, and Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien.
Twenty-nine teams are currently entered into the main draw, with three wildcard spots set to be handed out.
Sinner and Opelka could well benefit from one of those wildcard places, though they face a significant wait to see if they can compete otherwise.
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