The Indian Wells returns this week – and with it our betting predictions – on the 1000 Masters event.
The qualifications are done, and the draw is set for the 2021 Indian Wells tournament. The event – not held in 2020 – finds a new spot on the calendar, moving from March to October. The rescheduling of the event means our Indian Wells 2021 betting preview feels a little different than previous years, as some players opt out of the 1000-point event (for rest and recovery before the 2022 season).
| To Win the ATP – Indian Wells |  |
|---|---|
| Daniil Medvedev | TBD |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | TBD |
| Alexander Zverev | TBD |
| Andrey Rublev | TBD |
| Matteo Berrettini | TBD |
| Casper Ruud | TBD |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | TBD |
| Hubert Hurkacz | TBD |
| Jannik Sinner | TBD |
| Diego Schwartzman | TBD |
| Pablo Carreno Busta | TBD |
The Indian Wells is one of tennis’ prestige events – fitting in the echelon right below the four Grand Slams. However, it seems on both sides some of the best players in the world opting out of the tournament. It makes some sense, as the 2021 tennis season has been like no other. Many players are tired, hurt, and do not want to deal with everything.
There are still some great players at 2021 Indian Wells as you would expect with 1,000 points and $1 million for the winner. Of the top guys at the tournament, the one guy we are eyeballing to win the tournament is Hubert Hurkacz.
Hurkacz – who enters the tournament as its eighth seed – had an impressive showing at the tournament in 2019. Hurkacz (who was ranked 67th in the world at the start of the 2019 Indian Wells) advanced to the quarterfinals. To reach the quarters, Hurkacz beat three top-thirty players in the world.
Hurkacz is only two weeks removed from his win at the 2021 ATP Metz – a hard surface tournament held in French. While, not a significant tournament – as it is part of the ATP World Tour 250 series – seeing Hurkacz play well gives us more faith he can win the 2021 Indian Wells.
Best Underdog to Win the 2021 ATP Indian Wells
If you want to take a flyer on a dog at 2021 ATP Indian Wells, the best bet is Sebastian Korda. Korda is the 32nd seed at the 2021 Indian Wells – giving him a bye through the first round.
Korda has slowly climbed the world rankings this year from 63 in May to 42 going into the Indian Wells. He is 24-14 this season – respectable numbers for a guy in his first proper year on the ATP. He had to withdraw from the US Open but looks as though he is fully recovered from his injuries in time for the 2021 Indian Wells.
Best Bet to Win the 2021 WTA Indian Wells
While the women’s side of the Indian Wells is missing some of the top women in the world, we still get a chance to watch and wager on Emma Raducanu – the 18-year-old phenom, who rewrote the record books by winning the 2021 US Open as a qualifier.
She enters the Indian Wells as the favourite to win the event – which happens to be her first tournament since the 2021 US Open.
The draw is interesting for Raducanu. She gets a wild card berth in the bottom half of the singles draw. Her path to the finals means a battle against one of her idols – Simona Halep – in the Round of 32. Outside of the Halep, the biggest challenge for Raducanu is Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina.
We are also seeing the older (or veteran players) running out of steam later in the 2021 season. It should help someone like Raducanu – who has played sparingly this year – and should have plenty left in the tank for the next ten days.
Best Underdog to Win the 2021 WTA Indian Wells
Since the 2020 Indian Wells was cancelled, we are going to look at who exceeded expectations the most in 2019 to find our underdog. When looking at the previous tournament, two names come to mind – Belinda Bencic and Marketa Vondrousova.
Since the tennis odds are better on Marketa Vondrousova, she is our underdog pick to win the 2021 Indian Wells. Marketa Vondrousova made the quarterfinals at the tournament in 2019. She had some huge upsets along the way, including an upset against world no.2 Simona Halep.
We then took Elina Svitolina to three sets in the quarter-finals – eventually falling to the world no.6 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Vodrousova looked good at the WTA Chicago last week, a hard court event scheduled between the US Open and Indian Wells. She made it to the semi-finals, although she withdrew before her match against Garbne Muguruza. It does not seem the withdrawal was due to injury – and we expect Vondrousova to be competitive at the 2021 Indian Wells.
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