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Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz served up one of the stand-out matches of the tennis year so far and now the two giants of the men’s game could be set for another meeting after a thrilling draw for the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

Djokovic defied the odds to beat his young rival Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January, with the 37-year-old pulling off a masterful tactical performance to be the reigning 21-year-old French Open and Wimbledon champion.

Now Djokovic and Alacarz could be set to renew their rivalry in the Californian desert, but there could be an equally eye-catching encounter lying in wait for the Serbian before that.

After an initially rocky start to their relationship, Djokovic and Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios have developed a strong bond over the last couple of years and the duo could not be on course to play against each other for the first time since their Wimbledon final almost three years ago.

Kyrgios is preparing to play in his first ATP Masters 1000 tournament since he appeared in Cincinnati in 2022 and he will play in Indian Wells after being handed a wild card.

In what could be a repeat of their Australian Open quarter-final, Djokovic and Alcaraz are due to meet in the last eight at Indian Wells.

Prior to that, Djokovic will need to get past Kyrgios, before a potential third round clash against either the in-form pair of Francisco Cerundolo or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Alex de Minaur or Hubert Hurkacz may be Djokovic’s opponent in round four ahead of that possible match against Alcaraz.

Djokovic and Alcaraz are in the opposite half of the draw to Alexander Zverev, who takes the top seeded position in Indian Wells as world No 1 Jannik Sinner is absent as he is serving his suspension from tennis following his failed drug test at this event last year.

Tallon Griekspoor or Miomir Kecmanovic will be Zverev’s first round opponent in his opening match, with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard a possible third round opponent and the in-form Tomas Machac or Frances Tiafoe a possible match-up in the fourth round.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is seeded to take on Zverev in the last eight after his impressive return to form as he won in Dubai last week, with Daniil Medvedev always a dangerous player in Indian Wells also in Zverev’s section of the draw and a potential semi-final opponent.

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“Alcaraz is the defending champion, he’s going for the three-peat. Only Federer and Djokovic have managed that in the history of this tournament, so it’s not going to be easy,” respected broadcaster Marcus Buckland told Tennis365 as he made his Indian Wells predictions.

“He doesn’t quite have that aura at the moment that he built up at the start of his career, as he has been a little more inconsistent of late, but I would have him as my favourite.

“I’ve got a feeling Medvedev is going to have a good tournament. Medvedev has a good record in this tournament. He has made the final at Indian Wells over the last couple of years and tends to thrive in the conditions in Indian Wells.

“It would also be great to see one of the Americans going deep as well. They have six players in the seeded positions right now and Taylor Fritz is the player who could go well here.

“He won Indian Wells a couple of years back, but the question is over where he is with his fitness.

“Another one to look out for is Ben Shelton as he should thrive in these conditions with his big serve and the American crowd behind him.”

Projected men’s quarter-finals:

(1) Zverev vs. (8) Tsitsipas
(4) Ruud vs. (5) Medvedev
(7) Rublev vs. (3) Fritz
(6) Djokovic vs. (2) Alcaraz