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Indian Wells Day 2: Venus’ return, Townsend’s load and Zheng’s wild-card test

Venus returns at Indian Wells; Townsend battles fatigue after Austin; Zheng earns a wild card. Read!

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Venus Williams’ return to Indian Wells carries more questions than certainty. The 45-year-old has made the rounds this season — Auckland, Hobart, Melbourne, Austin and now Indian Wells — after a summer in which she competed in three hard-court events in the United States. She also got married for the first time at 45.

“I’m getting so many things right, but, you know, there had been a lack of playing matches,” she said in Australia. “So I’m playing well. I’m setting myself up each point to win points and controlling the points.”

Results have not mirrored that confidence. Since last summer she is 1-7, though three defeats, including one to Karolina Muchova, went the distance in three sets. On Thursday she meets Diane Parry, the 111th-ranked Frenchwoman who came through qualifying with two wins. Parry, half Venus’ age, offers good hands, timing and a one-handed backhand. Listed at 5’7″, she will surrender height and power to Williams in the big stadium. The preview here leans on the crowd and experience to nudge Venus through. Winner: Williams

Taylor Townsend arrives in a different state. After nine matches in Austin last week — five in a run to the singles final and four more on the way to a doubles title — she flew to Indian Wells and won two singles matches on Monday and Tuesday to qualify. She opens the main draw against a player ranked higher than anyone she faced in Austin. Bouzkova is 2-0 against Townsend and sits 54 spots above her (33 to 87). Bouzkova is 5-7 this season; she is steadier, but when Townsend is firing she produces a wider variety of shots. Given the crowd and Townsend’s momentum, the pick here is Townsend. Winner: Townsend

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A wild card storyline closes the day. The 22-year-old Columbia senior Zheng won three qualifying matches and stunned Sebastian Korda in five sets at the Australian Open before an adductor strain ended his next match against Corentin Moutet. Recovered, the world No. 145 faces the 76th-ranked Cazaux, a former Top 5 junior with a heavy topspin forehand. At 23 Cazaux has not risen higher than 58 in the rankings.

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Sinner debuts ‘Jannik Sinner Unfiltered’ and admits failing motorbike test three times

Sinner’s new YouTube series shows Indian Wells; he admits failing his motorbike test three times. OK

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Jannik Sinner launched a personal video series on his YouTube channel, opening with the line “Morning guys, what’s up?” The debut episode, released on Friday, gave the four-time major winner’s 184,000 subscribers a relaxed look at his time in Indian Wells, including scenes on the golf course and behind the wheel.

Sinner, who joined the creator community following his second Australian Open title in 2025, answered fan questions and traded banter with coach Darren Cahill during a breakfast segment. Cahill asked, “I have a good question for you. Do you promise to answer this one honestly?” Sinner replied, “OK, I’ll try,” before Cahill pressed, “How many times have you failed your test to gain your motorbike license?” After a brief exchange and Cahill insisting, “NO, answer the question!” Sinner smiled at the camera and admitted, “three times.”

The video touched on small habits and career reflections. In response to “Do you have a pre-match ritual?,” Sinner said, “Usually I always go to the same toilet. But it depends year by year. If the year before I didn’t play well, I change.” He also revealed that he tends to live out of his suitcase rather than unpacking immediately, wants to become fluent in either Spanish or French and “usually” ties his right shoe first.

Sinner identified two career high points. “One when I reached No. 1 in 2024, it was during Roland Garros. I really enjoyed that moment,” he said. “And the other one was when I won Wimbledon. It was not even a dream, because it was unrealistic when I was young to win such a big tournament. Winning the title with my parents there, my brother, great friends. It was for sure the happiest moment I ever had on a tennis court.”

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The world No. 2 enters the season following a dominant run in the Sunshine Double, completing the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open without dropping a set and bringing his career trophy total to 26.

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Confessional Cart: Players Explain Why Tennis Is Seen as the Sexiest Sport

Players on ‘Confessional Cart’ at the BNP Paribas Open debated why tennis is the sexiest sport. Now.

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The short-form series “Confessional Cart” returned at the BNP Paribas Open with a roster of ATP and WTA players answering offbeat questions during rides back to the locker rooms. One recurring topic across the season was a light but pointed debate: what makes tennis the sexiest sport?

Atheistically and technically, I think it’s very nice to look at,” responded Casper Ruud. “I’ve seen tons of pictures of Roger being compared to like a ballerina or dancer.

Sights and sounds factored heavily in other players’ replies. “Because of grunts, because of muscles. And for sure, because of outfits,” felt Marta Kostyuk. The theme of attire returned in another voice: “We wear nice outfits. And it’s subtle, not too revealing but still kind of classy,” added Ajla Tomljanovic.

Beyond visuals, several players pointed to the raw emotion that the sport produces. Said Chris Eubanks, “The grunting, the emotion, the passion. I think it’s just the best all around sport when you combine men and women.” His comment captured a common throughline: tennis is experienced as a mixture of athletic display and personal intensity.

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The conversation also leaned into the physicality and effort on display. “There is a lot of grunting and a lot of sweating. It’s one against one or sometimes two against two,” laughed Matteo Berrettini. “Cut that, cut that.”

The topic earned a concise endorsement from a fellow player. Tommy Paul asserted, “Matteo Berrettini. That’s why it’s the sexiest sport.”

Across brief segments on the series, players offered overlapping reasons: form, sound, clothing choices and emotional intensity. The format allowed candid, often humorous takes that do not arise in standard media sessions, and the BNP Paribas Open setting provided the backdrop for those informal conversations.

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Rafael Jodar’s Rapid Rise: From No. 908 to the Edge of the Top 100

Jodar climbed from No. 908 to the verge of the Top 100 after Challenger titles and Masters wins now.

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A year after appearing at No. 908 in the ATP rankings on March 17, 2025, Rafael Jodar has accelerated into the tour’s higher levels and stands poised to enter the Top 100 by the end of the Sunshine Double. The Madrid-born 19-year-old, who had been a freshman at the University of Virginia, turned professional and quickly began compiling results across the Challenger and ATP circuits.

Jodar won two qualifying matches at Hard Rock Stadium and then secured his first main-draw victory at an ATP Masters 1000 event, defeating Yannick Hanfmann, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. Speaking during a marketing shoot at Indian Wells, Jodar said of stepping onto the sport’s biggest stages in 2026, “It’s a great opportunity to share the court with these players that I’ve been watching since I was very young. I’m super grateful for all the work I’ve been doing these past seasons and years. Let’s take this and try to maximize the opportunity to give my best tennis level.”

His ascent owes much to a breakout 2025 on the ATP Challenger Tour. While ranked outside the Top 900, he reached the semifinals at Morelos in April and went on to capture three hard-court titles, including one on his college campus in Charlottesville, alongside four additional semifinal appearances. “All those matches helped me a lot, to get a lot of experience. I learned a lot from the matches, even the ones that didn’t go the way I wanted,” he said. “At the end of the day, playing against different types of games and opponents is what matters.”

Jodar earned one of eight spots at December’s NexGen ATP Finals in Jeddah and opted to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility before the new year. He opened 2026 with a runner-up finish at the Canberra Challenger, advanced through three Australian Open qualifying rounds and claimed his first major match win over Rei Sakamoto in a fifth set. Early-season ATP victories followed at Delray Beach (250) and Acapulco (500) in February as he continued his climb.

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Asked about rankings, Jodar was measured. “It would be nice to be in the Top 100 but it’s not a thing that is one of the main goals this year. The main goal is to improve, to get better every day,” he said.

Carlos Alcaraz, who worked with Jodar at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga when Jodar served as a hitting partner, praised his temperament and game. “I really like the way that he plays. No fear. Having no respect to anybody when he step in the court,” Alcaraz said. “Off the court he’s a really nice guy. Have huge respect to everybody who’s in the tour. But once he step in the court, he believes in himself and he believes he can beat anybody.

“So that’s what I like the most (about) him. For me, it’s not surprising at all how good he’s doing in the tour and how far he’s breaking in the tour and being close to the Top 100.”

Reflecting on that relationship as our conversation ended, Jodar added, “He’s super close, a very good human being. I’m very happy with the way he treats the other Spanish players.”

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