Sinner versus Alcaraz: A duel worth much more than second place in the ATP rankings
Indian Wells, Greater Palm Springs is a California desert oasis nestled in the Coachella Valley, a name that echoes bass riffs and drum beats from the annually staged festival - one of the most famous music festivals on the planet.
Dancing in front of a rather different audience will be Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz this evening. Considered the best young players in the sport, the sky is the limit for these two stars.
Novak Djokovic being kicked out by lucky loser Luca Nardi and another Rafael Nadal injury just before the tournament began means we will probably only see him again on clay courts. Sinner and Alcaraz are thus playing not only for the future but also for the present of tennis.
Present and future
Even a giant like Djokovic can't escape the effect of time, it affects the strength of your muscles and slows down reflexes. As he turns 37 in May, the new generation is approaching to steal his thunder.
Sinner has had an impressive string of 19 consecutive victories and has wrestled to number three in the world ahead of Daniil Medvedev. It has been form which has set his sights on the very man who had been designated as the successor to King Djokovic - Alcaraz. The Spaniard has been penalised for a period of poor form and too many injuries, such as the one to his ankle that ousted him at the ATP event in Rio de Janeiro.
Whoever wins on Saturday will be the ATP's number two player in the world on Monday. And in this sort of duel, which finds its rightful setting in the cactus desert that surrounds Indian Wells, whoever is quicker and more precise will win. They are two formidable opponents who use their racquets like revolvers, shooting balls on the lines.
As is the tradition in tennis, there is great respect but no friendship between the two rivals. "Jannik is an example of professionalism for Carlos," said Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
"Is it good for tennis that two rivals get along? Yes, even if it is often not easy. We are talking about the biggest rival of your career. The more you play them, the more you risk painful defeats.
"But Carlos and Jannik have a healthy relationship. When Sinner won the first Masters 1000 in Toronto, we knew he was close to a Grand Slam title". Respect, not friendship. A healthy respect and rightly so.
The sport was dominated by three incredible players in the last era: Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, with the Serbian playing third wheel before stealing the sceptre for himself. Medvedev is unlikely to play third wheel in this narrative but he is doing his best with an almost unprecedented continuity of performance and results, and will probably be waiting in the wings for the winner in the final here. Never underestimate the Russian, though, who was so close to beating Sinner at the Australian Open final before surrendering the trophy.
The best in the world
A year ago Alcaraz's hopes of beating Sinner seemed stacked against him when they met at Indian Wells, his last win against the Italian came in that semi-final (7-6, 6-3). Since then, Jannik has put on 4.5 kg of muscle in the gym, trained technique and strategy with Simone Vagnozzi and his mind with Darren Cahill, improved his serve, (previously a weak point) and developed a less imaginative tennis style than his opponent, perhaps even less spectacular but possibly more effective.
And he has grown a lot. With victories against Alcaraz in Miami (6-7, 6-4, 6-3) and Beijing (7-6, 6-1), Sinner now has a 4-3 lead in head-to-head encounters, It is a growth that recently made Alcaraz himself come out with: "Right now the best (player) is him."
Striving for perfection
Sinner, however, remains humble when praised for his excellent form and keeps his focus on his goal which is much more than becoming ATP number two. "The ranking is relative, there are still too many points up for grabs," said the Italian. "I could become number two and then go down again.
"At this moment, for me, the ranking is secondary, it's not that finishing the tournament as number two matters so much to me. That's not the meaning for me and my team'. The goal, as he has said repeatedly, is not just to win but to improve constantly.
We will see how it unfolds tonight. The Spaniard has played this tournament on the rise, even overcoming the fear of bees that attacked him in his last match. But even so, with the form Sinner is in, he will not fear anyone.