Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul are set to begin their campaigns at the 2026 Indian Wells Masters soon. Ahead of the Masters 1000 tournament, the two American players will participate in the MGM Slam, an exhibition event featuring several other ATP players. This tournament caught the attention of Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, who called it a “cool event.”
Brad Gilbert Looking Forward to ‘Cool’ MGM Slam ft. Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, and Others
The 2026 MGM Slam will take place on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In addition to Fritz and Paul, players such as Nick Kyrgios, Gaël Monfils, Casper Ruud, Alexander Bublik, João Fonseca, and Reilly Opelka will compete for a $1 million prize pool.
Recently, Gauff’s former coach, Gilbert, expressed his excitement for the MGM Slam on social media, sharing a photo of its poster and calling it a “cool event” in Las Vegas.
“cool 😎 event tomorrow in vegas one ☝️ afternoon TB shootout,” Gilbert posted on X.
The American coach also replied to a fan, stating that he is looking forward to watching the MGM Slam.
“looking forward to it,” he added.
looking forward to it
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) March 1, 2026
Looking ahead to the 2026 Indian Wells Masters, it is scheduled to take place from March 4 to March 15, 2026, with the main draw matches taking place on the outdoor hard courts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Fritz and Paul will be seeded in the tournament and will begin their campaigns in the second round after receiving a first-round bye.
Alongside Fritz and Paul, players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, Ben Shelton, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Jakub Menšík, and defending champion Jack Draper, among others, will also compete in the ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament in California.
Fritz’s best result at the Indian Wells Masters came in 2022 when he won the title by defeating Rafael Nadal in the final, claiming his first Masters 1000 title and his second career title overall.
Meanwhile, Paul’s best performance at the tournament came in 2024, when he reached the semifinals before losing to the eventual runner-up, Daniil Medvedev.
Leading up to the Indian Wells Masters, both Fritz and Paul participated in the 2026 Delray Beach tournament. Fritz, the top seed, began his campaign in the second round after a first-round bye. He won against Rafael Jódar in his opening match before losing to Paul in the quarterfinals.
On the other hand, Paul, seeded fifth, progressed through the tournament by defeating Corentin Moutet, lucky loser Adam Walton, Fritz, and Learner Tien to reach the final, where he finished as the runner-up to Sebastian Korda.
