TENNIS ATP INDIAN WELLS – Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray, experienced David Ferrer and an array of younger stars Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov will assemble in the Californian desert for the first of the nine Master 1000 Tournaments at Indian Wells. Last year’s US Open champion. Diego Sampaolo
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal have won the Indian Wells Master 1000 Tournament a combined 10 times in the past 11 editions of the Californian Tournament. They are the top-4 seeds at Indian Wells for the first time since 2012. However, the Indian Wells will not be a three-men show, as there will be plenty of interesting stories like the come-back from injury of 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic and a lot of intriguing match-ups in the early rounds.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will be bidding to defend his title won last year when he beat Roger Federer in an exciting three-set final. Djokovic won the Indian Wells tournament three times in 2008, 2011 and 2014. He started his season with his fifth Australian Open title but lost the Dubai final against Federer. Djokovic will be looking to win his 50th career title.
Djokovic will face a tough first round clash against either Marcos Baghdatis or Jiri Vesely before a possible second-round match-up against Julien Benneteau The Serbian super-star was drawn in the top-half and is in collision course with in-form David Ferrer for a potential quarter final. Ferrer made a good start to his season winning three titles in Doha, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco but lost his last seven head-to-head matches against Nole. The World Number 1 player will first have to beat John Isner in the third round in a re-match of last year’s Indian Wells semifinal. Isner may first clash against Kevin Anderson in the third round.
Ferrer could clash against Australian Bernard Tomic in a potential third-round match. The winner of this match could take on Marin Cilic who will start his season after being forced to withdraw from the Australian Open and the first two months of the year because of a shoulder injury. Cilic has never advanced the fourth round stage at Indian Wells. After his first triumph at the US Open Cilic won the Kremlin Cup in Moscow but he was knocked out in the first round in Shanghai and lost all his three matches at last year’s ATP World Tour Finals.
Djokovic could clash against Andy Murray in the semifinals, if the Scotsman overcomes a very tough quarter final against Kei Nishikori, who recently finished runner-up in Acapulco. Nishikori could face off either Acapulco semifinalist Ryan Harrison or Mardy Fish, who makes his comeback to the ATP Tour for his first tournament since Winston Salem in 2013 after a long absence to heart issues.
Murray reached the final at the Australian Open but he lost in the quarter final in Rotterdam and Dubai (where he lost to Croatian rising star Borna Coric). Last weekend The Dunblane two-time Grand Slam champion led Great Britain to a Davis Cup 3-2 win over the USA in Glasgow thanks to his two singles match wins against John Isner and Donald Young. Murray could meet either Rio de Janeiro’s finalist Fabio Fognini or Ernests Gulbis.
Murray finished runner-up at Indian Wells in 2009 but has never won this tournament.
One of the most intriguing early-round match-up could be played between last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov and 2015 quarter finalist Nick Kyrgios in the second round. The winner of this match could square off against Milos Raonic in the fourth round. These players are on collision course with 2013 Indian Wells champion Rafa Nadal who lost in the third round last year in this tournament.
Rafa will start against either Sijsling or a qualifier in the second round before possibly facing Pablo Carreno Busta, Donald Young or Jeremy Chardy. Nadal, who won his first tournament of the year in Buenos Aires on his favourite clay surface, could meet Frenchman Gilles Simon in the fourth round.
Raonic could clash against Simone Bolelli for the third time this year. The Italian won their last match in Marseille last month.
Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal are on collision course for a blockbuster semifinal in the bottom half of the draw. It could be the 34th match-up between the two popular stars of the circuit. Federer could clash against 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka in a projected all-Swiss quarter final. First Wawrinka will have to overcome a possible fourth-round clash against Tomas Berdych in a re-match of this year’s Rotterdam final.
Federer will not face a easy task in the early rounds as he is projected to meet Jerzy Janowicz in the second round and Andreas Seppi in the third round in a re-match of this year’s Australian Open third round won by the Italian player. Before the possible Swiss derby Federer could play against Roberto Bautista Agut.
In the build-up to Indian Wells Grigor Dimitrov beat Roger Federer 6-2 1-6 7-5 in an exhibition match at the Madison Square Garden in New York. Both players offered a great show especially in the third set when they entertained the crowd with a series of spectacular rallies. Dimitrov fought back from a set down in the third set. Federer held serve to draw level to 5-all in the third set but Dimitrov, who had not won a single set in his career against the Swiss legend, got the decisive break to clinch the win.
