You might be wondering why Alexander Zverev, a world number 7 player, is entering a challenger event a week prior the BNP Paribas Open.
As it turns out, the German will only be participating at the doubles competition of the Oracle Indian Wells Challenger. The Indian Wells Challenger event is the final stop on The Road to Indian Wells. In singles, this final stop will determine those players who will secure the main draw wild cards into the BNP Paribas Open.
Even if he wants to compete in the singles competition, he won’t be able to do so since ATP Challenger rules prohibit a top 10 player from entering. Zverev is ranked 161st in doubles though.
He’s seeded third in doubles with his brother Mischa.
