Indian Wells is widely considered the unofficial 'fifth Grand Slam' and the 2023 edition is right around the corner.

Known as the BNP Paribas Open for sponsorship purposes, it remains one of the most attended tennis tournaments in the world.

GiveMeSport Women runs you through all the important information you need ahead of this year's competition.

What is Indian Wells?

Indian Wells is an annual tennis tournament that is classified as a WTA 1000 event on the women's tour.

The owner is Larry Ellison, executive chairman and co-founder of Oracle – while former men's world number two Tommy Haas is the current tournament director.

Played on a hard-court surface, the main draw consists of 96 players in a 128-player grid, with the top 32 seeds receiving a bye through the first round.

Indian Wells

When is Indian Wells?

This year's competition begins on Monday, March 6th and runs until Sunday, March 19th.

Matches are expected to take place in the late evening and early morning in the United Kingdom.

Where is Indian Wells?

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California is home to the prestigious event, with 29 courts and a huge 16,000-seat stadium, which is the second biggest in the world.

Indian Wells itself lies in the Coachella Valley – some 125 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: A general view of Stadium 1 Court at sunset as Emma Raducanu of Great Britain plays against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in their second round match on Day 5 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on October 08, 2021 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Will Emma Raducanu be playing at Indian Wells in 2023?

The good news for British fans is that Raducanu has been awarded a wildcard for the event.

The 20-year-old missed the cut for automatic qualification after her world ranking dropped to 80th.

However, the 2021 US Open champion has established herself as one of the most recognised tennis stars on the planet and has been rewarded with a chance to compete for her second WTA career title.

Raducanu will face Montenegro's Danka Kovinic in the first round.

Who else is competing at Indian Wells?

World number one Iga Swiatek will defend her title in California, as will American Taylor Fritz.

However, tennis superstars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will not be present, with both pulling out of the event.

Nadal is a three-time Indian Wells champion but has been hampered by a hip injury of late.

Djokovic, on the other hand, is currently banned from entering the US due to his vaccination status.

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: Iga Swiatek of Poland poses for photographers after defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece during the women's final of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 20, 2022 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

How to watch Indian Wells?

UK viewers will have the chance to see Raducanu and others in action on Amazon Prime Video.

You can find all of the latest tennis news and rumours right here.