Can Serena Williams win her first Indian Wells title since 2001?
The world No.10-ranked American is the title favourite according to Game Insight Group (GIG) data. Williams has a 22.3 per cent chance of winning Indian Wells this year, ahead of world No.1 and defending champion Naomi Osaka at 15.7 per cent.
Williams is in a strong third quarter of the draw, headlined by fourth seed Sloane Stephens. It makes for a particularly tough draw for Stephens, but it won’t be easy for Williams either. The 37-year-old, who made the third round at Indian Wells last year in her tour-level return from maternity leave, faces a potential second-round meeting and 2016 final rematch with Victoria Azarenka.
QUIZ: Can you pick these player legs?
Women’s singles championship prediction (pre-tournament)
| Player | Title chance |
| Serena Williams | 22.3% |
| Naomi Osaka | 15.7% |
| Karolina Pliskova | 14.2% |
| Ash Barty | 11% |
| Petra Kvitova | 10.2% |
| Simona Halep | 9.6% |
| Elina Svitolina | 3.9% |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 2.1% |
| Kiki Bertens | 2% |
| Madison Keys | 2% |
| Player | Quarter | (- more difficult/+ easy) |
| Naomi Osaka | 1 | -0.5% |
| Petra Kvitova | 2 | +2.1% |
| Sloane Stephens | 3 | -5.5% |
| Simona Halep | 4 | +3.95% |
Twitter: Get the latest updates from Game Insight Group
The predictions are put together using Elo ratings, an alternative to more traditional rankings aimed at giving a greater insight into a player’s performance ability.
They factor in every professional match a player has played in their career, taking into account the level of the opponent, the difficulty of the match and whether it took place at tour level or at a Grand Slam.
When adjusted for specific surfaces, they still take into account all of a player’s matches but weigh those on the chosen surface more heavily.
16 February 2017
In the first part of our series analysing the similarities and differences between men's ... More
11 May 2017
When we look at Rafa Nadal on clay, there are a few key points that make him better than e... More
22 February 2016
How well do you know your lobs from your lets? Take this test to see if you can be the nex... More
16 March 2016
Agility is the ability to rapidly change direction without losing speed, balance, or body ... More
© 2020 Tennis Australia