The Indian Wells Masters is only a few hours away with the main draw having been revealed. The first Masters 1000 tournament of 2017 will be highly anticipated and with the recent upsets at Dubai and Acapulco where the likes of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic were beaten by unheralded players, we might well see a few more at Indian Wells.
Besides the surprises and upsets, every fan would want to watch certain players perform well at this event.
Also Read: 5 things to look forward to at the Indian Wells Masters 2017
With the first Masters 1000 tournament of the year not far away, let’s take a look at five players whom we want to see do well at this year’s Indian Wells Masters.
#5 Alexander Zverev
After showing a lot of promise last year which led to several critics and former players touting him as the next big thing in tennis, the 19-year old German once again showed a few promising performances this year. One of those included beating Roger Federer at the Hopman Cup and nearly defeating Rafael Nadal at the third round of the Australian Open before losing in five sets.
Following the Australian Open, Zverev won his first title of the year and his second ATP title overall by winning the Open Sud de France, defeating Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet in the semis and final respectively.
However, this victory was followed by successive first round defeats at the Rotterdam Open and the Open 13 to Dominic Thiem and Nicolas Mahut respectively. This resulted in Zverev’s ranking dropping from a career-high 18th to 20th.
Following lacklustre performances in his previous two tournaments, Zverev would be looking to redeem himself at the Indian Wells Masters. It is at this very tournament that Zverev has had his best run at a Masters 1000 tournament by reaching the fourth round last year, beating two seeded players Gilles Simon and Grigor Dimitrov on the way.
Zverev has been handed a pretty tough draw as he might have to go past Nick Kyrgios in the third round, and if he does beat the Australian, he could face either Novak Djokovic or Juan Martin Del Potro in the fourth round.
The German’s aggressive game coupled with his serve and backhand makes him a dangerous competitor. Even though expecting him to reach the quarter-finals or semi-finals of this year’s Indian Wells Masters may be a long shot, he could always produce an upset or two.
#4 Grigor Dimitrov
After reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals and the Top 10 in 2014, the Bulgarian endured a very disappointing 2015 and his rankings fell drastically. However, Dimitrov showed signs of resurgence in 2016 and returned to the Top 20 by the end of the year.
This year, Dimitrov has been in terrific form so far. He beat the likes of Raonic and Nishikori to win the Brisbane International. This was followed by a second Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open where he narrowly lost to Rafael Nadal in five sets.
Dimitrov’s Australian Open performance was followed by another ATP title at the Sofia Open where he beat David Goffin (whom he beat in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open) in the final. Goffin would eventually get the better of Dimitrov at the Rotterdam when he beat the Bulgarian in the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open.
Dimitrov is yet to cross the third round at the Indian Wells Masters but the kind of form he has been displaying lately is enough to give the hint that Dimitrov will be more than a match for any opponent in the competition. Known for his all-round game and his athleticism, we would love to see Dimitrov excel well in the tournament and re-enter the Top 10 of the ATP rankings.
#3 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
The Frenchman produced a few decent performances in last year’s ATP World Tour and ended the year ranked No. 12. This year, Tsonga has been in terrific form so far. He began this year by reaching the quarter-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open and followed it with his first Australian Open quarter-final in four years.
After the Australian Open, Tsonga reached the semi-finals of the Open Sud de France following which he won the Rotterdam Open and the Open 13 within a week. As a result, Tsonga rose to No. 7 and will be looking to continue his good form at the Indian Wells Masters. We all know how dangerous Tsonga can be once he gets going and looking at his form lately, he is an overwhelming dark horse prior to the tournament.
The Frenchman has been handed a decent draw and his only obstacle until the quarter-finals is David Goffin whom he might play in the fourth round. Tsonga’s road will get bumpy once he reaches the quarters as he may be up against top seed and favourite Andy Murray. Nevertheless, Tsonga is somebody to watch out for at the Indian Wells Masters and we would love to see him in full form at the competition.
#2 Angelique Kerber
The German was in the form of her life last year as she reached three Grand Slam finals, winning at the Australian and US Opens but losing at Wimbledon. Her consistent performances last year helped her attain the World No. 1 ranking, dethroning Serena Williams who had held the position for more than three and a half years.
However, things haven’t been going very well for Kerber this year so far. Kerber began 2017 by reaching the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International where she was beaten by Elina Svitolina in three sets. This was followed by a disastrous second round exit at the Sydney International at the hands of Daria Kasatkina.
Kerber could not defend her title at the Australian Open as she was ousted in the fourth round by eventual semi-finalist Coco Vandeweghe. With Serena Williams winning the tournament, Kerber lost the No. 1 ranking to her and slipped to No. 2.
The German suffered a second defeat to Kasatkina in a month in the second round of the Qatar Open. She followed it up with her best performance of the year so far at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she reached the semi-finals before being defeated by eventual champion Elina Svitolina, which was her second defeat to the Ukrainian this year.
Kerber has been far from displaying her best form this year and she would want to put an end to her inconsistencies at the Indian Wells Masters, a tournament where she has endured poor performances in recent times, having being eliminated in the second round from 2014-2016 after consecutive semi-final appearances in 2012 and 2013.
Given her current form, one would not expect too much from the German but we would we love to watch Angelique Kerber at her best. Her ability to transform defence into offence using her counter-punching skills always makes her a feared opponent and having recovered from a knee injury, there’s a good chance that Kerber might end her disappointing streak at the Indian Wells Masters.
Kerber has been handed a fairly decent draw and she should be able to reach the quarter-finals where her most likely opponent would be either one of Venus Williams or Aga Radwanska. With Serena Williams out of the competition, Kerber is already assured of the No. 1 ranking at the conclusion of the tournament.
Nevertheless, we have always loved to see Angelique Kerber at her very best and would want to see her dominating opponents at Indian Wells through her counter-punching abilities.
#1 Roger Federer
Ever since he took a hiatus from tennis to recuperate from his injuries, everybody wanted Federer back at the ATP World Tour but none expected him to make an immediate impact. However, the Swiss maestro did surprise many as he won a fifth Australian Open title against all odds by beating long-time rival and friend, Rafael Nadal, in the final.
However, Federer followed this with a disastrous second round exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships at the hands of 116th ranked qualifier Evgeny Donskoy in three sets. Federer has been known for consistency and longevity in his tennis career and the fans would love to see him perform at the Indian Wells Masters.
The 18-time Grand Slam winner has won a total of four titles here and since 2012, he hasn’t exited the tournament before the quarter-final stage. However, Federer has not been handed an easy draw as he will be expected to play his arch-rival, Rafael Nadal, in the fourth round.
Federer’s work may be cut out in the fourth round but given the fact that he just beat Nadal a month and a half ago, there is a good chance that Federer might prevail this time too. Nevertheless, Federer will definitely be somebody to look out for at the Indian Wells Masters and we would love to see him win a record-equaling fifth title at Indian Wells.
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