Clijsters, Murray handed wildcards for Indian Wells

While four-time major winner Clijsters will continue her career comeback, Andy Murray will look to improve on his best career finish at the tournament in 2015 when he reached the semi-finals.

FILE PHOTO: Four-time major winner Kim Clijsters has been awarded a wild card into the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Former world number ones Kim Clijsters and Andy Murray were on Thursday awarded wildcards into the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Four-time major winner Clijsters will continue her career comeback after a seven-year hiatus that ended in 2019 at the tournament she has won twice.

Three-times Grand Slam champion Murray will look to improve on his best career finish at the tournament in 2015, when he reached the semi-finals.

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Fellow Briton and reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu has also received a main draw wildcard.

The 18-year-old became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam this month when she beat fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez of Canada in straight sets.

Several top players including world number ones Novak Djokovic and Ash Barty as well as Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka will not be competing at the hard court tournament in the Southern California desert.

The WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 event, which was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, runs from October 4–17.