Aryna Sabalenka is set to begin her campaign in the North American hard-court swing, starting with the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Ahead of the tournament, 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova shared her thoughts on Sabalenka’s chances at Indian Wells.
The 2026 BNP Paribas Open is scheduled to take place from March 4 to March 15, 2026. Main-draw matches for the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament will be held on the outdoor hard courts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Martina Navratilova Backs Aryna Sabalenka To Win the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells
Sabalenka, who is the top seed at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open, will begin her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She is set to face the winner of the match between wild card Alycia Parks and a qualifier in her opening match.
In an interview with WTA Tennis, ahead of the tournament in California, Navratilova discussed Sabalenka’s past performances at Grand Slam tournaments, recalling her runner-up finish to Elena Rybakina at the 2026 Australian Open. Navratilova noted that while the World No. 1 played well throughout the Grand Slam, winning tough matches, she did not perform nearly her best.
“She played so well getting to the AO final, winning tough matches. Kept it together, but she was not nearly near her best. The good news is that she’s getting to Grand Slam finals — five of the past six. The bad news is that she’s lost three of them. It’s a tough one to get over because you can deal with it — until you get there again,” Navratilova said.
Navratilova pointed out some “bad news” for Sabalenka, mentioning that although she has reached multiple Grand Slam finals, she has not secured any titles, which can be challenging to overcome. She suggested that the losses on the “biggest stage” in tennis could have left “scar tissue” for Sabalenka.
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“When you get into that situation, the body kind of does its own thing. And you don’t know what to do. You feel like you’re outside of your body looking down. It’s so easy to develop scar tissue, considering it’s the biggest stage.
The whole world is watching, which magnifies it so much more. I’m sure she can deal with it. For me, looking back, the way she fixed her serve and fixed herself speaks volumes. So I’m thinking she’s going to figure it out and learn how to manage it better,” she continued.
When discussing potential winners of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open, Navratilova mentioned that both Sabalenka and Rybakina are the frontrunners for the title. She stated that World No. 1 will be eager to face Rybakina at the tournament to avenge her loss at the Australian Open.
“You still have to go with Sabalenka because she’s got the weapons. Right now, the way everything is going, if [Elena] Rybakina is fully healthy, they are the top two players, clear frontrunners.
They might come close to the level of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz if they keep going this way, unless Coco figures things out and [Iga] Świątek gets her mojo back. I think she’ll be out for revenge. Knowing her, Sabalenka is hoping she’s going to play Rybakina at some point,” Navratilova added.
Sabalenka’s best results at the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament in California have been finishing as the runner-up twice: first in 2023 against Rybakina and again in 2025 against Mirra Andreeva. She, however, won the doubles title alongside Elise Mertens in 2019, triumphing over Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková in the final.
