Indian Wells ATP Preview

You can view a full copy of the men’s draw here.
First Quarter
Seeded Players: Novak Djokovic (1), Tomas Berdych (7), Nicolas Almagro (12), Richard Gasquet (16), Kei Nishikori (17), Florian Mayer (18), Kevin Anderson (29), Andy Roddick (30)
These days, it’s a pretty safe bet to pencil Novak Djokovic into the finals. That makes it awfully unlucky to be drawn into his quarter. There are a few guys that could give him a run for his money if their having a good day, and a few more if Djokovic is having an off day, but those are few and far between now. Andy Roddick may have another surprise left in him, but he’s definitely got his work cut out. Richard Gasquet is another one to watch. When he’s on, he’s got the best one-handed backhand in the game.
Semifinalist: Novak Djokovic (1)
Possible Sleeper: Andy Roddick (30)
Best First/Second Round Match: Robin Haase vs. Pablo Andujar
Second Quarter
Seeded Players: Andy Murray (4), Mardy Fish (8), John Isner (11), Gilles Simon (13), Juan Monaco (22), Stanislas Wawrinka (23), Viktor Troicki (25), Julien Benneteau (32)
Last year, Andy Murray rather shockingly lost in the second round to Donald Young. He followed that up with another miserable performance in Miami. This year should be different. He’s not showing the same signs of a post-Australia slump that he showed last year. In fact, he’s fresh off a final appearance in Dubai, where he beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Regardless of the fact that he lost to Roger Federer in straights, that Djokovic triumph should give him an extra confidence boost heading into Indian Wells this week. An early challenge could potentially be Ryan Harrison, who pushed Murray at the Australian and pushed Federer last year at Indian Wells, but he’ll have to make it through Cipolla and Troicki to set up that rematch. John Isner, who is now just outside the Top 10 at No. 11, probably poses the most significant threat to Murray in this quarter.
Semifinalist: Andy Murray (4)
Possible Sleeper: John Isner (11)
Best First/Second Round Match: Viktor Troicki vs. Ryan Harrison
Third Quarter
Seeded Players: Roger Federer (3), David Ferrer (5), Juan Martin del Potro (9), Gael Monfils (14), Fernando Verdasco (19), Jurgen Melzer (20), Milos Raonic (27), Juan Ignacio Chela (31)
Federer doesn’t have the easiest draw, actually, it’s probably the most difficult of the Top 4; but, he’s coming into the tournament straight off of his 72nd career title in Dubai, and nothing creates confidence like winning. He will likely face young Canadian, Milos Raonic, in the third round, which has the potential to be a blockbuster match. While an encounter with Raonic would certainly push Federer, there’s a good chance he would survive to move on to a possible fourth round match against Gael Monfils or Jurgen Melzer, and a must see quarterfinal against either Juan Martin del Potro or David Ferrer. Del Potro poses the biggest threat in this section, but Federer seems to have his number at the moment.
Semifinalist: Roger Federer (3)
Possible Sleeper: Fernando Verdasco (19)
Best First/Second Round Match: David Ferrer vs. Grigor Dimitrov
Fourth Quarter
Seeded Players: Rafael Nadal (2), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (6), Janko Tipsarevic (10), Feliciano Lopez (15), Alexandr Dolgopolov (21), Marin Cilic (24), Marcel Granollers (26), Radek Stepanek (28)
It’s unclear what sort of form Rafael Nadal is in coming into Indian Wells. He hasn’t played a match since the grueling five set Austrlian Open final, which leaves a lot of questions. What kind of lasting impact might that match have on the rest of his season? This can go one of two ways. His 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 7-6(5), 5-7 defeat to Novak Djokovic at the end of January could either spur him on to new heights, or allow Djokovic even further into his head. There’s little doubt in my mind that Nadal can navigate his way through his quarter of the draw, which actually isn’t all that strong. The only real challenge could come in the quarterfinals, where he’s due to meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. While there’s a question mark surrounding Nadal’s physical and mental state at the moment, it’s still tough to see this quarter ending with any other semifinalist.
Semifinalist: Rafael Nadal (2)
Possible Sleeper: Alexandr Dolgopolov (21)
Best First/Second Round Match: Michael Llodra vs. Ernests Gulbis
 
Semi Final 1: Novak Djokovic (1) d. Andy Murray (4)
Semi Final 2: Rafael Nadal (2) d. Roger Federer (3)
Final: Novak Djokovic (1) d. Rafael Nadal (2)