The first Masters 1000 tournament of the year will be hit by the absence of a number of well-known players. Stan Wawrinka’s absence was already known due to ongoing knee trouble. The Swiss is set to be joined by other high-profile ATP players.
Richard Gasquet, a former Wimbledon and US Open semi-finalist has been forced out. It marks the second year in a row that the Frenchman will miss the California tournament, as appendicitis forced to miss out in 2017, as well as in Miami.
Fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will also be absent. Tsonga, a former Australian Open finalist, has reached the quarter-finals in Indian Wells on two occasions, but was beaten in his opening match by Fabio Fognini last year.
Former World No.1 Andy Murray has been a long-term absentee and will not play, though he shared some encouraging news about his future recently.
Italian veteran Paolo Lorenzi will also be absent, as will Andreas Seppi, and Florian Mayer.
The list of absentees could grow as there are serious doubts about the fitness of World No.2 Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard was forced to pull out of the Acapulco Open with the same hip injury that afflicted him at the Australian Open.
The missing players means opportunities for those who did not have high enough rankings. Victor Estrella Burgos, Marton Fucsovics, Frances Tiafoe, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jeremy Chardy, Laslo Djere, and Lukas Lacko have all been moved into the main draw.
The next three waiting to be awarded places should the absentee list grow are Radu Albot, Steve Darcis, and Ivo Karlovic.
