By Arjun Chadha
Following a captivating
first round of the Davis Cup last weekend, which saw both Novak Djokovic and
Andy Murray play lengthy five setters against Kukushkin and Nishikori
respectively, the ATP tour journeys to Indian Wells for the first Masters 1000
event this year. Four time winner Djokovic is the overwhelming favourite as he
seeks to assert his long-held dominance over the rest of the tour.
Andy Murray, fresh from scathing comments made about ‘that’ Sharapova case, stays favourite to make the final from the bottom half although it is fair to say there are a number of dangerous players in the draw, who could attack a tired Murray after his exploits against Kei Nishikori on the weekend. Nick Kyrgios is one of Murray’s main threats despite withdrawing from Davis Cup action. Nishikori himself is seeking to make a deep run, but must take caution - John Isner, finalist in 2012, is a potential fourth round opponent.
Following a captivating
first round of the Davis Cup last weekend, which saw both Novak Djokovic and
Andy Murray play lengthy five setters against Kukushkin and Nishikori
respectively, the ATP tour journeys to Indian Wells for the first Masters 1000
event this year. Four time winner Djokovic is the overwhelming favourite as he
seeks to assert his long-held dominance over the rest of the tour.
It seems that Djokovic will
have to be in dreadful shape to lose early, if at all. His lengthy run of
finals ended in Dubai recently after retiring a set down in the quarters of the
event. However with Federer’s absence his hopes of a sixth final look
promising.
Rafael Nadal is projected to be Djokovic’s match up
in the semis, yet recent results imply that Djokovic should cruise again. Nadal
failed to win titles in Rio and Buenos Aires after a R1 exit at the Australian
Open, with discouraging losses to Cuevas, Thiem and Verdasco.
Those hoping to pounce on
an out of touch Nadal are Rotterdam tournament winner Martin Klizan and Grigor
Dimitrov, although the 0-7 record the Bulgarian currently has against Nadal
does not look optimistic.
While third seed Stanislas
Wawrinka has turned into an immovable obstruction to Djokovic at the grand
slams, at ATP level Wawrinka remains a distinct second best. Wawrinka has the
bizarre achievement of being crowned with more slam titles than Masters 1000
with just a solitary Monte Carlo title to his name at this level. Two Masters
1000 titles would not go amiss for Stan the man.
Andy Murray, fresh from scathing comments made about ‘that’ Sharapova case, stays favourite to make the final from the bottom half although it is fair to say there are a number of dangerous players in the draw, who could attack a tired Murray after his exploits against Kei Nishikori on the weekend. Nick Kyrgios is one of Murray’s main threats despite withdrawing from Davis Cup action. Nishikori himself is seeking to make a deep run, but must take caution - John Isner, finalist in 2012, is a potential fourth round opponent.
Milos Raonic looks likely to be a fourth
round opponent for Murray. The Canadian highlighted his credentials in January
with a run to the Australian Open semi final and a Brisbane title which
included a victory over Roger Federer. Murray boasts a 4-3 win record over the
gigantic Canadian.
Tomas Berdych, ever a threat at this
level, could face a possible second round clash with Juan Martin Del Potro
which abounds with intrigue. The
Argentinian made his long awaited return at Delray Beach a few weeks ago and
while a second final after his 2013 effort is perhaps a step too far, a couple
of matches under his belt with any injuries will be a good return to tennis for
Del Potro who at full strength, should be a welcome re-addition to the tour and
a threat to anybody.
While the world of tennis has hit the
headlines for unwanted reasons these past couple of days, tennis fans all over
are hoping that Indian Wells will answer tennis’ detractors with exciting and
fast-paced tennis. However, the spectre of ‘meldonium’ will loom large over the
next fortnight, with WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) announcing earlier today
that there have been 99 positive tests for the drug this year alone.
Photo:http://www.tennisnow.com/images/2015/March-2015/andy-murray-indian-wells- 03142015.aspx
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