The first combined ATP and WTA Masters 1000 tournament of 2025 will be next week’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek will defend their titles from last year. 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is among the others on the entry list for the event. Five players, including four ATP stars, have already withdrawn from the event. This article names those players and lists their replacements in the draw.

Five Players Withdraw From BNP Paribas Open

Which Players Have Withdrawn?

Jannik Sinner was the first player to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open. The ATP world No. 1 is suspended until May 4th after settling his doping case with the World Anti-Doping Agency. Although that development caused much controversy, Sinner finally has clarity after an almost 12-month saga. His first eligible tournament after the ban is lifted will be on home soil at the Italian Open.

Barbora Krejcikova was the sole WTA player to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open. She has not played a match this season because of a severe back injury, including withdrawing from the Australian Open. Her last appearance was at the 2024 WTA Finals, where she lost to Qinwen Zheng in the semifinal. Krejcikova’s stunning run to the Wimbledon title led to her qualifying for the season-ending tournament.

The 2025 iteration of the event in Indian Wells will also be missing Reilly Opelka. He withdrew from the ongoing Mexican Open in Acapulco with an injury of some kind. Opelka spent almost two years out with wrist and hip injuries before returning in the middle of last year. It is unclear at this stage whether one of the issues has recurred.

Thanasi Kokkinakis was the fourth player to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open. The Australian announced that he underwent surgery for a lingering pectoral injury. Kokkinakis is not certain that the surgery will fix this issue, but is giving it a try after struggling with the problem for a lengthy period.

Yoshihtio Nishioka was the final man to withdraw. He had an injury that prevented him from playing his round-of-16 match at the Delray Beach Open earlier this month, and he has not recovered in time for the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells.

Who Replaces Those Five Players in the Draw?

Luca Nardi will return to the scene of his greatest victory after replacing Sinner at the BNP Paribas Open. He stunningly defeated Novak Djokovic at last year’s tournament. It was one of the most significant upsets in Masters 1000 history and shows how dangerous the Italian is at his best. Other players will not want to face him if he produces a similar level to the 2024 iteration of the event.

Julia Grabher is set to make her main draw debut in Indian Wells in place of Krejcikova. The Austrian’s most notable achievements, such as her sole WTA final, have come on clay. She will hope to cause a surprise by having a deep run at the prestigious tournament in California on hard courts.

Opelka’s withdrawal has given Jacob Fearnley an opportunity at the BNP Paribas Open. The 23-year-old burst onto the scene by winning four Challenger Tour events in the space of three months last year. He also defeated Nick Kyrgios during his impressive run to the third round of this year’s Australian Open, losing to the eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev at that stage.

The experienced Dusan Lajovic enters the draw after Kokkinakis elected not to play. He has not made a great start to the season and is searching for his best tennis. Being given a main draw place at such a huge tournament gives him another opportunity to improve his fortunes.

Christopher O’Connell was the other addition to the main draw. His most recent match was a round-of-16 defeat to Matteo Berrettini at the ongoing Dubai Tennis Championships. The Australian is a solid all-round player who is challenging to face when his game is flowing.