Indian Wells is widely regarded as the ‘5th Grand Slam’ on the tennis calendar. Over the years, many top tennis stars have claimed the title at BNP Paribas and added an illustrious trophy to their resume. However, some Grand Slam champions in tennis, have failed to win the title at the Indian Wells.
While Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer lead the men’s singles players in most number of Indian Wells titles won, Andy Murray is one big name missing on the list of champions. The Brit has won Grand Slam titles during his career, but could never manage a title win in the Californian tournament. Here is a list of five Grand Slam champions, who have failed to win the Indian Wells Open.
Andy Murray
Andy Murray is a 3-time Grand Slam champion. The British superstar won the US Open in 2012 and followed it up with Wimbledon wins in 2013 and 2016. However, Murray could not win at the Indian Wells throughout his career.
The Brit did make it to the final of the tournament in 2009 but ended up losing to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. In 2024, Murray lost to Rublev in the Round of 64.
Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka is a 3-time Grand Slam champion, having won at least one major in 3 out of 4 Grand Slams. The Swiss star won the Australian Open title in 2014 and added French Open in 2015 and US Open in 2016. However, Wawrinka has so far failed to win the Indian Wells title.
The Swiss reached the final of the Indian Wells competition in 2017, but he was beaten in straight sets by Swiss compatriot, Roger Federer, in straight sets.
Marat Safin
Marat Safin won the US Open title in 2000 and won the Australian Open title 5 years later in 2005. However, despite his hard court prowess, Safin never won the Indian Wells title. The Russian did not even make the finals of the tournament even once during the course of his career.
Marin Cilic
Martin Cilic won his first and only Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2014. The Croatian defeated Kei Nishikori to win the title in New York. However, Cilic could not replicate his good achievements ever at the Indian Wells tournament. The Croatian’s best ever-performance in Indian Wells was a quarter-final run in 2016.
Goran Ivanisevic
Goran Ivanisevic defeated Patrick Rafter in five sets to win the Wimbledon title in 2001. This was the only Grand Slam title in the Serbian’s career. Despite reaching his career best of No.2 in the world rankings, Ivanisevic never won the title at the Indian Wells.
