The Indian Wells Open is popularly called the Fifth Grand Slam because of how strong the draw is, and that's why Emma Raducanu and Paula Badosa needed a wild card.
The ATP and WTA 1000 event is a longstanding tournament that generally draws Grand Slam-worthy entry lists. Everything about the tournament is amazing, and players just love playing there.
To get into the main draw of such a strong event players need to be ranked highly but that's not the case for either Raducanu or Badosa at this time.
The Spanish player is currently ranked 72nd in the world while Raducanu is ranked 252nd in the world. Those are not rankings that will get them into the main draw of an event such as the Indian Wells Open directly.
However, the event gave both of them a wild card which ensures that both of them will play in the main draw. The two have a lot of fans who will be very happy about them being part of the main draw without the threat of losing in the qualifiers, or possibly not even playing.
The event holds a special place for Badosa because it's one of the biggest events she won in her career. She managed to do it in 2021, but she hasn't been able to replicate that sort of success since then.
For Raducanu, it will be remembered as the first event she played after winning the US Open, which is actually the same event the Spaniard won.
Joining them as wild cards are also former world no. 1, Karolina Pliskova, and American player Amanda Anisimova, who is also making a comeback.
Previously, Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams received a wild card for the tournament, so they too are among recipients. Two American players, Ashlyn Krueger and McCartney Kessler, will also get a unique chance to play at the tournament thanks to a wild card.
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