Indian Wells introduces new idea before this year's tournament designed to honour both Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek

Indian Wells introduces new idea before this year’s tournament designed to honour both Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek

Posted by author February 20, 2025 Tennis

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Indian Wells is now just around the corner, where Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek will be out to defend their titles.

The Spaniard already has an ATP Tour title to his name this season, with Alcaraz winning the Rotterdam Open earlier this month.

Swiatek was impressing at the Dubai Tennis Championships, but she has just suffered a shock exit at the hands of Mirra Andreeva.

The latest exploits of Alcaraz and Swiatek come ahead of Indian Wells, where they emerged victorious last time out.

Alcaraz beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the men’s singles event, with Swiatek defeating Maria Sakkari in straight sets.

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek set for Indian Wells Champions Luncheon

And it looks like both the Spaniard and the Pole will take centre stage at Indian Wells once more this time around.

The tournament will introduce a Champions Luncheon at the 2025 event, hosted by Alcaraz and Swiatek, as reported by The Desert Sun.

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It will take place at the Porta Via Restaurant on the grounds of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and is intended to become an annual occurrence.

The dinner will feature cuisine from Spain and Poland, with both players set to take part in a Q&A before the meal.

Like the Masters golf tournament, the BNP Paribas Open will honor its defending champions with a special lunch, with menu items from their homelands. https://t.co/s8wdjNv3sh

— The Desert Sun (@MyDesert) February 19, 2025

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Record-breaking Indian Wells voted best tournament 10 years in a row

Indian Wells has long been a notable stop for the stars of the men’s and women’s games, which is unsurprising given they are WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 events.

The tournament has welcomed countless male and female tennis icons over the years, and will continue to do so after the first round of wildcards were introduced.

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WTA legends Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova have made the cut, along with ATP rising stars Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien.

The iconic California venue is also world-renowned and greatly celebrated, with Indian Wells named in December as the ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 Tournament of the Year.

As determined by player vote, the event clinched the honour for the tenth successive year, and 11th on the WTA Tour, while last year a record-breaking 493,440 fans attended the tournament.