On the men's side, this tennis tournament is wide — and we mean wide — open. The likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal are all out of action for this one. In fact, no one in the current playing field has ever won Indian Wells before making a first-time winner a guarantee for 2021.
Along with the aforementioned "big three", the only other active players to win this tourney are Juan Martin del Potro and reigning champion Dominic Thiem. And guess what? Both are also out with injuries. As we said, it's WIDE open in 2021. You can see that by the current odds being pegged by online sportsbooks:
| Players |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Daniil Medvedev | +185 | +175 |
| Alexander Zverev | +500 | +400 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | +750 | +700 |
| Andrey Rublev | +1600 | +1600 |
| Matteo Berrettini | +2500 | +2500 |
| Jannik Sinner | +2600 | +2800 |
Notice the huge dropoff in odds after the favorite? It's steep! Also worth noting is that the betting lines aren't identical from site to site. This is why it pays to line shop before betting — to maximize your value. Take Alexander Zverev, for example. There's a difference of +100 in his odds from BetOnline and BetUS, which is a ton of value. Always get the best price for your bets. Always!
Indian Wells Betting Pick — Men's Singles
Surprise, surprise No. 2-ranked Daniil Medvedev is the odds-on favorite to take the title. That's a natural occurrence after Medvedev not only won the US Open — his first-ever major — but dominated Djokovic in the process. In the finals, with Djokovic seeking to sweep the Grand Slam (a feat not done since 1969), the 25-year-old Medvedev beat him in straight sets.
However, we're hesitant to bet on the Russian phenom. Mostly because Medvedev doesn't have a history of success at this court. Pre-2021, he has a modest 3-3 record at the Indian Wells, bowing out in the round of 32 in 2018 and 2019. We'll be completely upfront: we're not betting on Medvedev to win outright.
Instead, we're backing Alexander Zverev. No, he doesn't have enormous success at Indian Wells either — very few players in this field do — but he has fared better than Medvedev. He's 5-4 all-time there with one Round of 16 appearance.
But here's why the No. 4-ranked Zverev gives us the most betting confidence. He has a bit of a hot streak going at the moment. Of course, he took home gold at the Olympic Games and rode a 16-match winning streak before a semi-finals defeat to Djokovic at the US Open. Since Wimbledon, Zverev is a whopping 17-1.
At only +500 odds (on BetOnline as noted before), that's quite the bargain for a streaky-hot player. We're laying the hammer on Zverev to win his first-ever Indian Wells and make his bettors a handsome profit along the way.
Indian Wells Betting Pick — Women's Singles
As of this publishing date, sportsbooks had futures lines on the women's side down. We'll still give you betting advice to use once it's back up, but we'll avoid discussing betting lines for now.
But akin to the men's tournament, the women's event is also missing one big-name player after another. Naomi Osaka? Withdrew. No. 1-ranked Ashleigh Barty? Also skipping out. Then the No. 2 player Aryna Sabalenka caught COVID-19 and was forced out. So yeah, this tournament is also there for the taking.
Odds will likely tilt most toward Karolina Pliskova, the No. 3 player in WTA, winning it. She's the top seed and certainly has momentum on her side. It's actually this very reason we're making Pliskova our own bet.
Pliskova has never won Indian Wells before, but she's rarely played bad here either. She hasn't lost a match before the Round of 16 from 2015 and onward. Moreover, the farthest Pliskova has advanced at Indian Wells is the semis, happening in 2016 and 2017.
With the stars not in the mix, we believe Pliskova will rise to the occasion and raise a title. The former No. 1 Pliskova has been the model of consistency since Wimbledon and that instills all the confidence we need in betting with her here.
How To Bet The Indian Wells
The Indian Wells, also known as the BNP Paribas Open, runs from now until October 17. If you're looking to bet the tourney — whether that's futures or the daily matches — then you need to check out one of the betting sites featured below. These bookmakers will have any and every line you can think for the Indian Wells.
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