Indian Wells 2022: Full list of men's and women's singles wildcards featuring Andy Murray, Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrgios & more
Former World No. 1s Andy Murray and Naomi Osaka headline the list of wildcards for the upcoming Indian Wells Open. The women's event will begin on 9 March, with the men's tournament set to commence a day later.
Murray has made considerable progress over the last year or so. He reached the final of the Sydney Tennis Classic at the start of the season and broke into the top 100 of the rankings for the first time since 2018. Interestingly, Indian Wells is the only hardcourt Masters 1000 event that Murray has yet to win.
Osaka, meanwhile, is struggling for form. She failed to defend her Australian Open title after crashing out in the third round to Amanda Anisimova. Consequently, she has slipped to 80 in the WTA rankings.
The Japanese won her maiden career title at Indian Wells in 2018 and will be aiming to recapture some of that magic to rise to the top of the game once again.
@andy_murray Indian Wells snapshot:
27-13 career record🇬🇧 @andy_murray Indian Wells snapshot:
🌴27-13 career record
🌴Best finish: F (2009)
🌴2021 finish: 3R
How far will he go in 2022? https://t.co/mQj1JKEKAZ
2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin has also been awarded a wildcard into Indian Wells. The American has been going through a rough patch for a while now. She made it to the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International at the start of the season, but was knocked out in the first round of her next four tournaments.
Australian Open doubles champion Nick Kyrgios will also feature at Indian Wells as a wildcard. He hasn't competed in too many tournaments since the onset of the pandemic and is currently ranked outside the top 100.
Jack Sock, formerly ranked No. 8 in singles, is another wildcard recipient. After struggling with injuries, he has been on the comeback trail since 2020 and is making slow but steady progress.
The list of wildcard entries for the 2022 Indian Wells Open also includes former World No. 11 Sam Querrey, young talents Robin Montgomery, Hailey Baptiste and Elvina Kalieva. The final men's singles wildcard will be announced in the coming days.
Here's the full list of the men and women who have received a wildcard for the 2022 Indian Wells Open:
Men's singles:
Andy Murray
Nick Kyrgios
Jack Sock
Sam Querrey
Women's singles
Naomi Osaka
Sofia Kenin
Emma Navarro
Claire Liu
Hailey Baptiste
Robin Montgomery
Elvina Kalieva
Katie Volynets
Kyrgios
Sock
bit.ly/3MkO8Fc
🇦🇺 Kyrgios
🇺🇸 Sock
🇺🇸 Querrey
🇺🇸 Navarro, Liu, Baptiste, Volynets, R. Montgomery
Full #IndianWells wild card round-up👉 bit.ly/3MkO8Fc https://t.co/0HpoS18B4a
Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios will be competing at the Indian Wells Open for the first time since 2019
Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios last competed in the California desert in 2019. Osaka was looking to defend her 2018 Indian Wells title, but lost to Belinda Bencic in the fourth round. Meanwhile, the Australian was upset in the second round by Philipp Kohlschreiber.
The tournament wasn't held in 2020 due to the pandemic, while the 2021 edition was held in October instead of its usual March slot. Osaka and Kyrgios had ended their season by then.