IW: Day Six Round Up

by: Nima Naderi

Indian Wells, CA—Fourth seed Andy Murray and No. 7 seed Andy Roddick both won straight set matches on Tuesday during the BNP Paribas Open to advance to the fourth-round.

Starting the day session in style, Murray struggled in the second set before defeating consistent American Michael Russell 6-3, 7-5.

Murray, who needed one hour and 53 minutes to upend his 31-year-old opponent, struck seven aces while winning 86 percent of his first serve points during the pair’s first career meeting.

Struggling with his powerful backhand towards the tail-end of the second set, Murray relied on a late break of serve against his American opponent to seal his ninth victory of the season.

The temperamental Scot was relieved to advance to the round of 16 of the first Masters 1000 event of the season.

“You know, I have not really seen him play, but for someone with his game style and stuff, he played very, very close up to the baseline, which I wasn’t expecting,” explained Murray.

“I had to do a lot of defending because of that.”

Murray will next face Nicolas Almagro, who dismissed home-country favorite James Blake 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Blake reached the finals in 2006.

Murray and Almagro have met on two occasions, with each player winning one encounter.

Elsewhere, America’s top ranked player Andy Roddick used his experience and sonic serve to overpower Masters 1000 newcomer Thiemo de Bakker 6-3, 6-4. Using a potent blend of slice and flat serves, Roddick blasted 15 aces past his Dutch opponent, while breaking serve on two occasions. By contrast, de Bakker failed to convert his only break point opportunity during the first set.

Reaching the fourth-round for the seventh time in his career in Indian Wells, Roddick will next face Jurgen Melzer for a place in the final eight. Melzer received a walkover when his opponent Simon Greul withdrew due to illness.

Roddick, who owns a healthy 9-0 career mark against Melzer, commented on his level of play on Tuesday, while looking ahead to his encounter with the No. 28 ranked Austrian.

“Yeah, I felt pretty good,” said Roddick. “I felt like the points he was winning he was either having to play a pretty high risk shot, maybe go for a winner, or he was having to go deep into rallies.

“So if you do that over the course of a match, you normally like your chances.”

On facing Melzer in the next round Roddick commented:

“Well, Jurgen is always tough,” confessed Roddick. “He’s capable of playing a couple different ways. He was capable of coming forward, attacking, really being the aggressor, which is always a little bit uncomfortable. So with him it’s important to hang on to your service games.”

Other winners on day six action included: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeating Albert Montanes 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Robin Soderling dispatching Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (3), 6-3, and Tommy Robredo dismantling Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-0.

The day’s last contest will feature top ranked Roger Federer against crowd pleaser Marcos Baghdatis.

Wednesday’s action in Palm Springs will highlight all of the men’s round of sixteen matches. The day session will include Rafael Nadal.

Quotes courtesy of ASAP.

IW: Order of Play For Thursday March 11, 2010

The order of play for the first day of the 2010 Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, California can be found below.

Order of Play For Thursday March 11, 2010.

Tennis Channel Gets Rights to Indian Wells Telecast

Tennis Channel will have exclusive rights to the Indian Wells event starting this year.

Previously holding scattered coverage on the Fox Sports Nets, the Tennis Channel will host over 90 hours over coverage over the 12 day event.

Tennis Channel will cover both the men’s and women’s event.

Roddick and Sampras to Sell Homes

Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras have reportedly put their homes in Austin, Texas and Los Angles, California up for sale.

The asking price for Roddick’s four bedroom home in Texas has been set for $4 mil. while Sampras’ home in Lake Sherwood, which is just outside of Los Angeles will be listed for $25 mil.

Both Roddick and Sampras will taking part in his week’s Indian Wells Masters event in California. Roddick will entered in the main draw, while Sampras will lend a helping hand to the “Hit for Haiti 2″ charity event.

Information courtesy of tennis.com.

SAP Will Continue San Jose Sponsorship

The ATP World Tour 250 event held in San Jose, California announced today that SAP, a German business software company will continue its sponsorship of the tournament for the next three years.

The 2010 edition of the event featured Spaniard Fernando Verdasco defeating Andy Roddick 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 for the first time since 2006 at the Pavilion in San Jose.

The 2011 SAP Open will take place February 7-13.

Federer, Nadal, Sampras, and Agassi Will “Hit for Haiti” in Indian Wells

Past and Present BNP Paribas Open Champions will “Hit for Haiti” to Raise Funds

The BNP Paribas Open, home of the year’s first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, California announced today that a “Hit for Haiti” event will take place on Friday March 12 at 7:30 pm.

The event will feature: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the four all-time greats, who hold a combined 44 Grand Slams between them, in doubles action.

Larry Ellison, who recently purchased the tournament, decided to organize the event after seeing the success it brought in Australia. The goal for the event is to raise $1 million.

“When I saw the first Hit for Haiti event in Australia, I was very moved by the players coming together, on the eve of an important tournament, for such a worthy cause,” said Ellison. “I wanted to bring together an exceptional group of players, with an unprecedented amount of Grand Slam titles, at the BNP Paribas Open. Our goal is to leave a memorable impression on fans, while raising a substantial amount of money that will directly impact the needs of people in Haiti.

The world’s most attended tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slam events, will take place between March 8-21, 2010.

The event will be broadcasted on Tennis Channel.

Quotes courtesy of www.bnpparibasopen.org.

Free Live Streaming for Memphis, Marseille, and Argentina

For those of you keen on watching the men’s tour this week, please find the following free links below to the three respective tournaments.

Live Streaming for Memphis, Marseille, and Argentina:

Livescorehunter.

Channelsurfing.

Verdasco Captures San Jose Title Over Roddick

No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco captured his first indoor title on Sunday at the SAP Open in San Jose, California, defeating top seed Andy Roddick 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Using his improved backhand and speedy serve, Verdasco struck a 144 MPH ace to clinch the second set.

Capturing the first indoor title of his career, Verdasco improved to four and 10 in ATP World Tour finals.

Changing racket manufactures to Yonex at the beginning of the week, Verdasco spent 10 days in California prior to the event play-testing rackets.

Gaining his first win over Roddick since the 2005 Roma Masters, Verdasco captured 250 ATP World Tour points and $90,925 of his efforts. Verdasco will also re-enter the top 10 after his victory in San Jose. The 26-year-old Madrid native entered the SAP Open ranked No. 11 in the world.

Roddick, who was bidding for his four title in San Jose, failed to capture the 29th title of his career.

Both Verdasco and Roddick will travel to Memphis, Tenn. next week to participate in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.

Preview and daily wrap up for BNP Paribas Masters 1000, Indian Wells, California. March 9-22, 2009.

Day 11 review for Sunday, March 22, 2009. Nadal wins in convincing fashion over Murray.

9:57 pm P.S.T.

Well I must say going into today’s final I was a little worried about the standard of tennis. Reasons being that 40 M.P.H. winds and tennis matches just don’t mix. The sudden turn in the weather today was quite odd as the entire tournament was simply covered in a blanket of warmth and clam conditions.

As Nadal came out after Murray as the opening introductions were announced my fear for a poor performance by the Mallorcan vanished. He appeared intense as ever and had no intention of allowing mother nature to stand in his way of capturing his 13th Masters 1000 title.

As the match began both players were simply interested in gauging the tough conditions. There were many re-catched ball tosses as both players were literary trying to keep the ball in the center of the court.

However after 1-1 in the first set, it was all she wrote for Andy Murray as Nadal’s strength and ”spin to win” mentally allowed him to capture the 2009, BNP Paribas Open. Final score 6-1, 6-2.

As I observed Nadal steam roll to another high level win, a few thoughts crossed my mind.  The first was that I had not witnessed such poor conditions for a tennis match of such importance since the quarter-finals of the 2005 U.S. Open between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi. That late afternoon in September was very reminiscent of today as the cold and windy conditions were as close to a hurricane on court as they come. On that day in New York Roger Federer dismissed the “wind master” Andre Agassi, in what was a classic five set encounter.

The second and more important thought that came to me, was that Nadal is truly the only player that is out there today that could beat a player like Murray so decisively in such a challenging envir0nment.

Watching Rafa today I had a feeling that he was relishing the poor conditions as another opportunity to showcase to the world, just how good of a player he was. His footwork and ball control skills were truly second to none, and no one, I mean no one except perhaps Agassi could have played anywhere near to the quality of tennis that Rafa played today.

Nadal’s strategy was complete today as he did not miss from the back of the court as he used his slice backhand to perfection. I had a feeling throughout his encounter that Nadal was getting ready for his U.S. Open bid this year, even though it was only March. That win would give Rafa the career grand slam.

The 1:20 minute final was dominated by 81% of first serve points won by the Spaniard, as well as four breaks of serve. In case you were wondering Murray did not even have a break point chance and neither player hit an ace.

With the win Nadal moved to 21-2 on the season as he will now turn his focus towards capturing his 14th Masters 1000 title in Miami next week.

Rafa had this to say after winning yet another big title. “The conditions today were really difficult, but I think I have good strategy and I played a really good match with those conditions. Probably Andy didn’t play his best because of the conditions, but I think I played a really complete match, moving very well. I never stop the legs during all the match, and I think that was the key today.”

On beating Murray,  Nadal said: “Andy was the only big top player I didn’t [beat] this year, so it’s [an] important win for me. But anyway, the most important thing for me is [to] win the title, any way, the opponent in the final.

“When I go to the tournament, I play first round and I don’t know if I’m going to win. You never know what’s going on in two months, in five months, in seven months. So it’s very difficult to play during all the year at the same level, your best level. If I am playing at my best level, if Murray has a good day, he has a good chance to beat me or Federer or Djokovic or a lot of players. So every tournament is really tough.”

Murray who was stoic as ever in the post match press conference had this to say. “It was tough. I haven’t played in conditions as windy as that for quite a long time. Rafa dealt with it very well. He hit the ball cleaner and just seemed to get himself in better positions than I did. Then you don’t necessarily want to be doing a whole lot of defending and running. You want to be in the best position possible to hit each ball, and I wasn’t. That’s why he managed to dictate most of the points.”

“I don’t feel like I’m that disappointed just now with how the week went, because I wasn’t expecting to do that well.  I obviously had some very good wins. I got a lot of the matches that I wasn’t necessarily expecting, so going into Miami I’m going to be better prepared than I thought. Obviously today was not my best day, but I’ll definitely get over it, because I’m guessing I’m not going to play in those conditions each week.”

As TennisConnected.com wraps up another ATP World Tour event, we once again had a blast attending the Palm Springs tournament, as it is certainly makes covering a tennis tournament quite easy.

From the access to the food to the great weather (apart from Sundays final) all expects of this tournament were world class, as we are already looking forward to coming back next year.

With the first Masters 1000 tournament in the books for 2009, we will now shift our attention towards the Miami Masters 1000 tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida, as that is another venue where watching tennis matches is not a chore by any means.

Congrats once again go out to top seed Rafael Nadal as he is still the man to beat under any conditions that he is given.  

Day 10 review for Saturday March 21, 2009. Federer gets ex’d by Murray; Nadal holds off Roddick to reach finals.

7:38 pm P.S.T.

Fourthseed Andy Murray improved his head to head against second seed Roger Federer to 6-2 overall as the Scot defeated the Swiss in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Masters 1000,6-3, 4-6, 6-1. As I observed this match on stadium court my thoughts were confirmed to the decline of a once mighty Roger Federer. With the match starting on serve, a squandered 1-1, 0-40 break point chance by Federerpretty much allowed the momentum to slip right through his finger tips, with Murray breaking the very next game. The catalyst to Federer’sfrustrations this afternoon, was the glaring weakness that is his down the line backhand.

As the match progressed this shot never made the impact that Federer would have liked. A shot that was pretty solid once upon a time, was completely inconsistent today and was creating way too many unforced errors.Although Federerdid pick up his game in the secondset, on the strengthof an early break of serve, it was Murray who was calm in knowing that he had four straight wins over the Swiss to fall back on. The telling moment in this match came at 1-1 in the third set. With Federerserving Murray came up with a highlight real shot off of a Federeroverhead to go up 0-15. From there Roger ended up losing complete concentration as the very next point saw Andy fall to the ground as he was wrong footed. At that point R-Fed came to the net to make sure Murray was alright, as Federer become very generous from that point on as he donated the next three points to lose his serve. From then on Federer did not win a single game, even though he did end up saving four match points.

Federer who was visibly disappointed after his loss had this to say. ”Way too many errors, he’s a great counterpuncher,” Federer said of what made the young Scot such a tough opponent.”He reads the game really well. He’s got great feel. He knows he doesn’t have to play close to the lines because he knows he can cover the court really well. I think that calms him down mentally.”

Whatever the case, like I have said on many different occasions, the days of Federer only having to worry about Rafael Nadal are over. The bad news is Murray is only getting better, and I do not know if I can say the same for Federer.

As Federer now sets his sights on the Miami 1000 event, Murray moves onto the finals where he will meet top seed Rafael Nadal who was a straight set winner over 7th seed Andy Roddick, 6-4, 7-6.

As I prepared to watch the days second men’s semi-final I did not like Roddickschances. Simply put, A-Rod has recently picked up his game no question, but his weak backhand andlack of confident transition leave him withvery few options against Rafa. As the match started I was pleased withAndy’s ability to mix in his slice backhand with success, which was a far cry from his 140 M.P.H. serve. There was no doubt that Roddickwas in this match, but as Andy came up with constant answers to the Nadal game, the Spaniard as always constantly asked new and challenging questions. 

Roddick to me kind of encounters the same dilemmas that a Roger Federer does when he plays Nadalor Murray, that being both Rafa and the Scot flourish when on the run, and never feel like they have to red line their games. On the other hand both Federer and Roddick seem as though they have to always hit their best shots and never can rely on just playing defense to gather free points from their opponents.

Today was no different as Nadal hit numerous passing shots against an out of position Roddick. On many occasions A-Rod was found behind the service line as he admired a blistering Nadal passing shot. Although Roddickdid break Rafa’s serve to prolong the match into a second set tie-break, it was Nadals poise and intensity that prevailed.

With the win Nadalwill now set his sights on winning his second BNP Paribas Masters 1000 tournament. The Spaniard also captured the crown in Palm Springs in 2007. Rafa had this to say about his finals opponent Andy Murray.“I think he’s more focused all the time, he’s more regular,” Nadal said. “Before, he has one good match and later he plays one set well and two sets not at the same level.“Right now he’s playing all the time very solid and very regular. You look at his results the last seven, eight months, he’s not losing to anyone. He only loses against the best, and not a lot of times.”

Nadal smiled and added, “I hope tomorrow.”

At this stage I do not think it is a matter of hope for Rafa, as he enters tennis matches. He is a humble young man andis always aware of the dangers that are around the corner. In saying that he is also fully aware of the tremendous talent that he possesses andwill look to better on his 5-2 head to head career lead over Murray. However it should also be noted that Murray has won the last two meetings between the two players, as both victories have come on hardcourts. Look for a great running match between the sports two best defensive players. 

On a side note, the doubles final was also played today, andI can say with full confidence that it was the best tennis played on centre court today. After his disappointing singles loss Andy Roddicktook the court half an hour later with partner Mardy Fish to defeat Max Mirnyi andAndy Ram. With the Roddick/Fish team losing the first set, the American team stormed back to take the second set and the match 3-6, 6-1, (14-12) in the super tie break. As a few of the kids sitting beside me said “sick match dude”.

As I get ready to watch the mensfinal tomorrow, my heart is still with the Mexican food that I had yesterday. The hamburger just didn’t cut it today, and I would like to warn everyone out there that they SHOULD NOT have the  fajitas from Applebees before going to bed.

Please stay tuned as we will have a full wrap up of tomorrows final match from the 2009, BNP Paribas Masters from Palm, Springs, California.

Day 9 review for Friday March 20,2009. Roddick defeats Djokovic; Nadal breezes by Del Potro.

8:25 P.S.T.

In subdued and seemingly effortless fashion, 7th seed Andy Roddick poured in an ultra impressive performance today as he defeated third seed Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-2. Clearly Djokovic was not at his best today, but it was Roddick that perhaps played one of his best matches in recent history. It was not so much the usual big serve and forehandthat we are accustomed to seeing Andy win matches with, as it is was his newly founddefensive foundation which was anchored by his slice backhand. With new coach Larry Stefanki in his corner, anda new slimmer physic to run around the court, Roddick was certainly on top of his game this afternoon.

Djokovic had this to say after playing one of the worst matches of his career. “It’s just one of the days when you really don’t feel comfortable on the court,” he said. “I just didn’t have any momentum—no feel for the ball, no movement. Just no solutions. It was all me making an incredible amount of unforced errors.

“This was one of the worst matches, certainly, I played.”

Andy who loves the heat, was more than willing to take what Novak was giving him today as advanced comfortably towards the semi-finals in 1:08 minutes. Roddick who served a modest five aces, also won 81% of his first serve points and broke the Djokovic serve four times. As you guessed it Djokovic did not break the serve of Roddick throughout the match.

Roddickalso made it a 2/2 day in terms of wins as he also took the doubles court later in the day to pick up a win with fellow American Mardy Fish.

In closing I was very impressed with Roddick’s play as he truly put in one of the best performances I have ever seen him produce. He was certainly helped by a fragile Djokovic, but these sort of performances are becoming more andmore frequent, with Mr. Ball Bouncer. Nevertheless, great win for Roddick as he will now get ready for some rock and roll tennis as he takes on top seed Rafael Nadal who was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over 6th seed Juan Martin Del Potro.

I gained a lot of respect for Rafael Nadal today. Not that I haven’t seen him play 100’s of times or seen countless amounts of his practice sessions. What impressed me today before I get to his convincing win over Del Potro, was the work ethic that the Spaniard possesses. Not only did he practice for two hours earlier in the day (right beside Roger Federer mind you) and not only did he play a 1:49 minute match under 90 degree heat, but after his routine interviews andobligations, Rafa was right back on the practice fiddling withhis serve as he was not impressed with how it was preforming. This truly to me sums up what Rafa Nadalis all about, a guy who doesn’t worry about winning or losing, but simply is concerned with become a better tennis each and every day that he steps on a tennis court. For most humans winning 73% of their first serve points and getting broken one time against the number six player in the world, would be just fine, but not to Nadal. The day just never stops I suppose when one wants to stay on top.

Onto the actual match, and the strategy that Nadal imposed on Del Potro. Rafa was all over the exploiting of Juan Martin’s movement this afternoon as the big man can hit the cover off of the ball, but does not like to get low, or be forced to transition forward. On countless occasions Rafa used his slice backhand return to entice the Argentine to go for an out right winner. On many occasions Del Potro did just that, and missed. As always Nadal’sfitness is so great that he can rely on playing ground hugging consistent tennis, and achieve straight set victories. Today was no different, as even though Del Potromounted a mini comeback after being down 2-5 in the second set, Nadalpersevered with his game plan and reached yet another semi-final.

Onto Saturdays semi-finals andthe hope that they will live of to their paper worth. First off second seed Roger Federerwill attempt to find a solution to fourth seed Andy Murray. There was a time and place when only Rafa Nadal troubled R-Fed, as those times are a distant memory. Murray has defeated Federer in the pairs last three encounters as well as leading their head to head 5-2. Murray has recently shown much better hard court form (apart from the majors) as his crafty game has certainly given Federer a nightmare or two.

Roger will have to be sharp in this one, as Murray seems to have recaptured his early season form. I hate to say it, but all the Federer fan’s out there should be praying for the R-Fed of old to show up in this one, as a slow start will have Federer on a plane to Miami A.S.A.P.

The days second semi-final might turn into a more interesting clash as top seed Rafael Nadal will battle 7th seed Andy Roddick. I think what Roddick has going for him in this match is that fact that he will be looking to end points as early as possible. Andy will not in anyway be looking to become engaged in many baseline exchanges. Roddick is playing some great ball at the moment, and definitely has a shot.

Rafa appears to have found a new hitch in his serve motion and will have to overcome that issue if he is to get by Andy. Again, Nadal showed me a lot today in terms of work ethic and if there is anyone who can overcome technical, mental or physical issues, it is the man from Mallorca.

Super Saturday definitely has the potential to offer at least one epic encounter.

To wrap up this post, I would like to spend a minute here in saying that the Tennis Gardens as Indian Wells, once again has put on a great show. The practice courts are super fan friendly and the food and ambiance are truly second to none.

Please check back tomorrow as we will have continuing coverage of both men’s semi-final matches from the BNP Paribas Open in California. We will also be providing live scores from Saturdays matches as well as video highlights, and interviews.  

Day 8 review for Thursday March 19, 2009. Federercatches his breath to get past Verdasco, meets Murray next.

10:19 P.S.T.

Second seed Roger Federer almost had the tables turned on him this evening against Fernando Verdasco as the Swiss advanced to the semi-finals of the BNP ParibasMasters 1000 with a 6-3, 7-6 victory. Although R-Fed breezed through the first set andwas up a break in the second set at 4-2, Verdasco began to show the fight and focus that has carried him this year towards his top 10 ranking.

Verdasco on the other hand was super tight from the get go and it seemed as though he was thinking about the two previous matches that he had lost against Federer. Another interesting dynamic and a story that will have to be investigated further was that Darren Cahill, who was ever so close to being in Rogers corner as his coach, was sitting in the Verdasco box. I am not sure if Federer even noticed Cahill’s location, but he was situated first row, under the FSN sign. 

Nevertheless, tennis matches are won and lost on court between the players participating, and although Federercame out smoking off the ground, it was interesting to note that when he lost that always important first point of the 4-2 game, Verdasco started to believe that he could come back in a big way.

It appeared all but certain that when Fernando broke R-Fed at 5-5 to lead 6-5, a disappointing quarter-final loss for the secondseed was around the corner. However, as Federer saved a Verdascoset point with an effortless insideout forehand winner, the pressure was mounting on the Spaniard and R-Fed could sense that Verdasco was not ready to win the match.

Ultimately that is what happened as Federeras took the tie break (7-5). With the win, Federer advances to meet fourth seed Andy Murray who was an earlier winner over Ivan Ljubicic. Federer andMurray have met seven times, with Murray holding a 5-2 head to head lead. Murray has also won the last three encounters over Roger, as well as having all of those wins coming on hardcourts. Needless to say, Federer will have to play his best to get through the Murray challenge.

 

Moving forward towards Fridays order of play, andanother fantastic day of world class tennis. The day session will be rocking tomorrow as both men’s quarter-finals will be played under the sun. Starting things off on center court, world number three Novak Djokovic who is also the defending champ, will take on crowd favorite Andy Roddick. Djokovic and Roddickhave met on four occasions with each player winning two encounters. There is some bad blood between these two, as Roddick would love nothing more than to dismiss Djokovicfor the second straight time. The Stefanki factor in Roddick’s corner should provide the variables for this to be a great match up and win for the American. Novak can not be counted out anddefinitely give the Palm Springs crowd their moneys worth.

The days second quarter-final match will see top seed Rafael Nadal take on six seed Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina. Nadal who barely got through 14th seed David Nalbandian on Wednesday night (after saving five match points), will be looking to make quick work of Mr. Del Potro. Nadalwill go into this match with a distinct advantage, as he has won all three career meetings against Del Potro. More bad news for Juan Martin will see Rafa attempting to take Del Potro’s legs away early andthe Argentines lack of transition tennis will only hurt his chances. Finally, all of Rafa’s wins have come on three different surfaces as the last time these two players locked horns was in 2007. A lot has changed since then for both players, but clearly Nadal is the man to beat on the circuit today.

Please stay tuned as TennisConnected.com will live coverage from Fridays quarter-final matches as live scores and video interviews and highlights from the 2009, BNP Paribas Masters 1000.

 

Day 8 review for Thursday March 19, 2009. Murray sides past Ljubicic; Federer faces Verdasco tonight, in the desert.

3:32 P.S.T.

Traffic was the order of play today in Palm Springs as President Obama’s presence caused many a traffic jam on the way to the event. After all the commotion was resolved, and or two alternative routes, fourth seeded Andy Murray had his work cut out for him as his opponent, former world number three Ivan Ljubicic showed up to play today.  The close 7-5, 7-6 scoreline was just that tight, as each player was at the top of their explosive games. Ljubicic actually had many chances in this encounter as his recent results in no way, shape or form indicated that he would put forth the quality of tennis that he did today. One would have thought that his tough 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 win over Igor Andreev yesterday would have left Ljubicicat a distinct disadvantage under the scorching desert sun. However, the soon to be 30-year old Croatian, truly made himself proud today with his performance.

Murray on the other hand needed to dig deep in his bag of goodies as the Scot’s serve needed to be maximized, in order to shorten points in the plus 90 degree on court temperatures. Although both players hit six aces, it was Murray who won more first serve points at 79%, as well as capturing an all important break of serve to close out the first set. Andy’s recent cool and calm demeanor helped him in a big way today, as the heat has really been cooking these past few days and getting past Ivan in straights was vital to Murray’s continuation in the event.  Murray will now sit back as he awaits tonight’s blockbuster match up between 2nd seed Roger Federer and 10th seed Fernando Verdasco.

Federerwill have a serious battle on his hands tonight, as A) he looked shaky in his previous match with Fernando Gonzalez and B) Verdasco has been in scintillating form throughout the event. As I eagerly prepare to watch this match on Stadium court this evening, I will be interested in seeing how Federer will come out of the gates. If he does not mark his territory early, I am not certain that he can get past Verdasco tonight. If Fernando is on, andhe has been on all week, his lefty arsenal of shots will be a serious dilemma for R-Fed to deal with.

 I am sure Verdascoas been chatting with top seed Rafael Nadal about a comprehensive game plan to defeat Roger, and especially now that Fernando has the confidence to allow his racket to do the talking, then I foresee Rafa emphasizing his countrymen to hit a lot of heavy forehands to the Federer backhand.

Federer and Verdascohave played on two occasions withRoger winning both matches. Each of those encounters were held on clay in Hamburg in 2005, and2008, with both victories coming in straight sets.. 

Stay tuned for a full match wrap up later tonight, as well as a preview of tomorrow’s two quarter-finals match ups. 

Day 7 review for Wednesday March 18, 2009. Federer, Murray and Verdasco through to the quarter-finals in Palm Springs.

4:34 P.S.T.

West coast baby! I can’t say that being in 90 degree temperatures after many months in the cold is not welcome. As for the tennis and my vitamin D aside, let me just say that the line up today at BNP Paribas Masters was simply exquisite.

Already in the books on day 7, soon to be “daddy Fed” Roger Federer survived a scare against Fernando Gonzalez of Chile. Watching the match I was once again amazed at the ball speed that Gonzo’s forehand can create. In the end Federerwas able to walk away from the affair with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 scoreline victory, but I must say that Roger is not the Roger of old. I can honestly say that watching the match today I could not help but notice that Federer is starting to become a step slow. Now in saying that he is still a super speedy player, andone of the best movers in the game. However if you compare him with the Federer of 2005 and 2006, he is just not that player anymore.

With the feet not moving like they once did, Federer’s serve is perhaps better than ever as he won 81% of his first serve points, hit three aces and broke the Gonzalez serve three times. He also hit some clutch volleys as his great defense allowed R-Fed to break open the third set and capture full control of his encounter.

I couldn’t help but notice a side story in this match,(andit was not Gonzalez smashing his racket into a million pieces) as Rogers girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec was sitting court side as she always does, she had a company on this warm and sunny Wednesday afternoon. Beside good friend Gwen Stefaniwho is a global superstar wherever she goes, Mirka seemed to be attaining many tips on her soon to be child. As I watched the two I could not help but think about how Federer’s focus will certainly change come this summer.

All in all a great win for Roger as he was in trouble after the second set. The three time champ now moves onto the quarter-finals where he will meet 10th seed Fernando Verdasco who was a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 winner over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.

Verdasco is really starting to look like the real deal as his confidence has sky rocketed after his semi-final showing at this years Aussie Open. A player who has always has great talent and shot making, is finally starting to show the promise that many individuals have always knew he had.

Fernando’s numbers for this match were stellar today as he won 80% of his first serve points, hit two aces and broke the Kohlschreiber serve five times. Verdasco had this to say after his victory. “The first matches it was so important to see if I was feeling good off the ankle – winning or losing – just if I was okay, without pain andeverything. So now that I won three matches already, I’m in quarter-finals. I did all the good things that I supposed to do. Now with Federer I will try to do a great match. I don’t have anything to lose.”

I believe this will be a great match, and if Federer is not on the top of his game, Verdasco is poised to clip him and advance. After all R-Fed is on the decline and Verdasco is playing the best ball of his life.

Elsewhere, 4th seed Andy Murray advanced to the quarter-finals when his opponent 15th seed Tommy Robredo retired after a wrist injury after being down 6-2, 3-0. Robredo was actually up a break at 2-1 in the first set, before everything fell apart. There is clearly no surprise that Murray is in the quarter-finals as he is one of the best hard court players in the world. The numbers for Murray in this encounter were consistent as he won 78% of his first serve points, and broke the Robredo serve four times.

Murray will now await the winner between Ivan Ljubicic and 22nd seed Igor Andreev of Russia.

Still to come on day seven action: top seed Rafael Nadal will take on 14th seed David Nalbandian; 3rd seed Novak Djokovic will take on 16th seed Stanislas Wawrinka; John Isner will take on 6th seed Juan Martin Del Potro and finally 12th David Ferrer will attempt to stop 7 th Andy Roddickin his bid to gain a quarter-final berth in the only Masters 1000 tournament he has not captured.  

Please check back as TennisConnected.com will be live from Indian Wells until the finals. We will be providing live match scores, as well as daily video and interview highlights on our main page media player. TennisConnected .com will once again be live this year from Indian Wells, as we continue to strive to bring our readers the best coverage possible.

Day 6 review for Tuesday March 17, 2009. Djokovicmoves onto round four; Nadal still on tap in Indian Wells.

6:17pm E.S.T.

Third seed Novak Djokovic poured in an impressive performance today as the Serb easily defeated former world number two and German, Tommy Haas, 6-2, 7-6. The 1:47 minute affair featured consistent ball striking by Novak, as he used his defensive foundation to perfection. The Djokovic serve was also cooking today as he pounded 8 aces, won 77% of his first serve points andbrokethe Haas serve three times. The defending champ now moves onto round four, where he will meet the winner between Sam Querrey or 16th seed Stanislas Wawrinka.

Querrey defiantly has a shot in this match, as his big serve does just fine in the thin air that the desert in Palm Springs provides.

Other winners on day six action included six seed Juan Martin Del Potro as he finished up a barn burner match against Austrian, Jurgen Melzer 6-2,2-6, 7-6. The 2:00 hour slug fest featured the shot making of Melzer, versus the cross court game plan of Del Potro. In the end Del Potro’s experience and confidence paid off as he captured the final set tie-breaker (7-2). The stats for Juan Martin in this encounter were also impressive as he dropped six aces, won 64% of his first serve points andwaseven with Melzerin break point conversions at four a piece. With the win Del Potromoves onto round four where he will meet either 24th seed Marat Safin or unseeded, ace experts John Isner.That match is still to come on day six action.

Other matches that are still on deck in Indian Wells on Tuesday will include: Top seed Rafael Nadal as he takes on hard hitting Dmitry Tursunov from Russia. Rafa will have to be careful as Tursunovisvery much a microwave type player, as he is either hot or cold. The trouble simply being with that he is ice cold when it counts. In the end, Rafa should have this one figured quite easily.

Elsewhere, 7th seed Andy Roddick will attempt to get past 31st seed Nicolas Kiefer, as the American is still on his journey to capture the only hardcourt Masters 1000 tournament that has eluded him. David Ferrer who is the 12th seed this week will take on the explosive Jeremy Chardy of France, and finally 14th seed David Nalbandian will face Viktor Troicki from Serbia.

Please check back as TennisConnected.com will be live from Indian Wells as of Wednesday. We will also have live coverage up until championship Sunday for all our readers to enjoy. We will be providing live match scores, as well as daily video and interview highlights on our main page media player. TennisConnected .com will once again be live this year from Indian Wells, as we continue to strive to bring our readers the best coverage possible.

Day 5 review for Monday March 16,2009. Federer takes on “ace machine” Dr. Ivo; as Murray will work on improving his form.

11:29 am E.S.T.

Second seed Roger Federer will encounter a mighty test today as the Swiss master will take on big serving Ivo Karlovic from Croatia. Federer who has been busy getting over a back injury as well as preparing to be a father later this summer also has the task of inflicting some revenge on Karlovic as the last time the two players met, it was a tough three set loss for R-Fed. Roger does have the luxury of holding a 6-1 head to head lead over Karlovic, as the thin air in the desert will surely bring forth an ace or two in this encounter. Do not be surprised if there is an upset in this match.

FourthseedAndy Murray will also be in action today as the Scot will be engaged in a match with Frenchmen, Paul-Henri Mathieu. Murray was a little off his game in round two as a recent viral infection has not allowed him to be on top form. Mathieumay also provide some resistance this afternoon as his shot making baseline game has given the very best in the world numerous problems on different occasions. I still believe Murray will pull through this match in straight sets, as Mathieu much like many of the Frenchmen just does not embody the grit and determination that the top players in the world have.

Other matches that will take place today will see James Blake in tough against Fernando Gonzalez of Chile. These two have had bad blood in the past as a result of their Olympic meeting last summer. Expect some rocking forehands in this encounter, as I give the edge to Gonzalez in this one.

Elsewhere, Igor Andreev will take on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga; Richard Gasquet will battle Fernando Verdasco; Gilles Simon will take on Ivan Ljubicic; Tommy Robredo will battle Marin Cilic; and Philipp Kohlschreiber will face Nicolas Lapentti. All in all a great day of tennis ahead for all to see.

Please check back as Tennisconnected.com will have daily reviews of the years first Masters 1000 tournament from Indian Wells, California. We will be providing live match scores, as well as daily video and interview highlights on our main page media player.TennisConnected .com will once again be live this year from Indian Wells, as we continue to strive to bring our readers the best coverage possible.

Day 4 review for Sunday March 15, 2009. Nadal and Djokovic pass first hurdles in Palm Springs.

10:38 pm E.S.T.

Top seed Rafael Nadal showed an easy transition today, towards his least favorite hardcourt surface as the Spaniard easily dismissed Michael BerrerfromGermany 6-2, 6-1. The 1:07 minute encounter featured Rafa at his tip top best as he won 81% of his first serves, 88% of his second serves points and broke the Berrerservefive times. To cap off another wonderful performance, the world number one did not allow his opponent any break point chances. With the win Nadalmovesonto round three where he will meet 26th seed Dimitry Tursunov who was a winner over Michael Russell 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3. Tursunov should trouble Rafa for a few games before the 2007 champ gets under the Russians skin.

Third seed Novak Djokovic began the defense of his crown today as the Serb defeated Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 7-5, 6-4. Djokovicwhorecently captured a title in Dubai, is finally starting to look comfortable with his new racket company. Even though it did take Novak 1:44 minutes to dispose of Arguello, his statistics for this match (although decent) could have been better. Djokovicendedthe day with 71% of first serve points won, two aces and four breaks of serve. Novak had this to say after his first “W” in the desert. “The quality is there. The game is there. The fitness is getting much better. It’s just a mental ability to play the best tennis,” he said.

“I know that I cannot perform always my best tennis, but, again, my confidence has been raised in the last month and a half.

“I’m aware that still there needs to be some improvement, but I’m taking it step by step.”

In round three Djokovic will face Tommy Haas who was a 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 winner of countrymen, Rainer Schuttler. Haas who is a former number two in the mensrankings will certainly provide some resistence for Djokovic.

Other winners on day four included: 12th seed David Ferrer (ESP) defeating qualifier Todd Widom 6-4, 7-5; 16th seed Stanislas Wawrinka defeating Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-3; last years finalist 20th seed Mardy Fish who can now expect to take a big hit in the rankings as the American was ousted by the talented Jermey Chardy of France 7-6,7-6; 31st Nicolas Kiefer defeated Bobby Reynolds 6-4, 6-2; 6th seed Juan Del Potro defeated Ryan Sweeting 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-1; 14th David Nalbandiandefeated Robert Kendrick 6-4, 6-4; John Isnercame away with a great win as he defeated 9th seed Gael Monfils 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4; 30th seed Jurgen Melzer defeat Taylor Dent 7-5 6-2; and 21st seed Tomas Berdych was ousted by Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-1.

Still to come on day four action in California, 7th seed Andy Roddick will take on qualifier Daniel Koellerer; 18th seed Radek Stepanek will take on Sam Querrey and finally Nicolas Massu will battle 24th seed Marat Safin.

Please check back as Tennisconnected.com will have daily reviews of the years first Masters 1000 tournament from Indian Wells, California. We will be providing live match scores, as well as daily video and interview highlights on our main page media player. TennisConnected .com will once again be live this year from Indian Wells, as we continue to strive to bring our readers the best coverage possible.

Day 3 review for Saturday March 14, 2009. Murray and Cilicmove to round two in Indian Wells.

8:01 pm E.S.T.

Fourth seed Andy Murray began his Indian Wells campaign in style today as the Scot defeated Spaniard, Albert Montanes 7-5, 6-3. The 1:35 minute match featured some rusty moments on Andy’s part as he only won 69% of his first serve points, hit eight aces, andbroke Montanesthree times. Murray who is coming off of viral infection, is hoping to round into form as the tournament progresses. He will next meet 32 nd seed Paul-Henri Mathieu who defeated Potito Starace (ITA) 64 67(11) 64.

Tall man Marin Cilic who is the 19th seed this week in the desert, began his run to his first career Masters 1000 final, as he defeated Steve Darcis of Belgium 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-1. After a gritty and focused first set by Darcis, the power and class of Cilic came through, as his big serve and lanky strokes were more than enough to cruise through the next two sets. The statistics for Cilic were outstanding as usual as he won 76% of his first serve points, hit 11 aces andbroke the Darcis serve six times. Cilicwill now move onto round three where he will meet 15th seed Tommy Robredo, who was a 6-1, 6-4 winner of Igor Kunitsyn of Russia.

Other winners on day three action in Palm Springs included: 22nd seed Igor Andreev defeated Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-4; Ivan Ljubicic defeated Mario Ancic,(as Ancic had to retire after being tied 3-3 in the first set); 11th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Teimuraz Gabashvili 7-5, 6-3; Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated lucky loser Oliver Patience 6-7, 6-3, 6-3; Nicolas Lapentti, fresh off of his weekend heroics against Canada in Davis Cup defeated 25th seed Robin Soderling 6-4, 7-6; 23 rd seed; Richard Gasquet defeated countrymen Michael Llorda 6-4, 6-0, and finally 10th seed Fernando Verdasco (appearing in his first match since his epic five set loss to Rafael Nadal at the Aussie Open) defeated talented, Thomaz Bellucci 7-5, 6-1.

Still to come on Saturdays full schedule, second seed Roger Federer will battle Marc Giquel of France; 8th seed Gilles Simon will take on Yen-Hsun Lu; 13th seed James Blake will battle Jarkko Nieminen; 27th seed Ivo Karlovic will take on Sergiy Stakhovsky ; and finally Lleyton Hewitt will go up against 17th seed Fernando Gonzalez in the days feature match.

Please check back as Tennisconnected.com will have daily reviews of the years first Masters 1000 tournament from Indian Wells, California. We will be providing live match scores, as well as daily video and interview highlights on our main page media player.TennisConnected .com will once again be live this year from Indian Wells, as we continue to strive to bring our readers the best coverage possible.

Day 2 review for Friday March 13, 2009. QuerreyandHaas look to advance to the second round in Palm Springs.

5:27 pm E.S.T.

The desert will be rocking today as big serving American, Sam Querreywill have his hands full as he takes on the tough Argentine grinder, Guillermo Canasin the days secondstadium court match. Canas has had some good results in Palm Springs as he beat Roger Federertwo years ago in the opening round. Querrey on the other handwho is a California, native will be looking to pour in a good performance in front of his home town as he has never madeit past the second round at this event in three previous appearances. Querrey who has a huge serve, will be looking for a break through performance this year as he has shown in the past that he has what it takes to challenge the worlds very best.

Tommy Haas who defeated Andy Roddick last year in Palm Springs will begin his road to another good showing in California today as the former world number two will take on clay court specialist Oscar Hernandez. Hernandez is probably one of the true dirt ball players left in todaysgame, as he rarely ventures into the net andusually stands ten feet behind the baseline. Haas should win this encounter in comfortable fashion as the soon to be 31-year old is still hitting a top level ball.

Action that has already been completed today saw Todd Widom defeat Ivan Navarro 6-4, 7-6(4); Michael Berrer defeat wild card Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3 (Berrer will face top seed Rafael Nadal in second round play); Daniel Koellerer defeated Mischa Zverev 2-6, 7-5, 6-2; and wild card Ryan Sweeting defeated fellow wild card and American, Wayne Odesnik in a tight battle 1-6 6-4 7-6(5).

Other action that is still to be contested on a busy day three will have: Taylor Dent against Diego Junqueira ; Bobby Reynolds taking on Fabio Fognini; wild card John Isner against Christophe Rochus; Michael Russell (USA) vs Guillermo Garcia-Lopez; Mikhail Youzhny versus Viktor Troicki; Nicholas Massu against Eduardo Schwank; Victor Hanescu will take on Jeremy Chardy; Martin Vassallo Arguello against Rik de Voest; Juan Chela will take on Andreas Seppi and finally Bjorn Phau will face off against Robert Kendrick of the U.S.

Please check back as Tennisconnected.com will have daily reviews of the years first Masters 1000 tournament from Indian Wells, California. We will be providing live match scores, as well as daily video and interview highlights on our main page media player.TennisConnected .com will once again be live this year from Indian Wells, as we continue to strive to bring our readers the best coverage possible.

Day 1 review for Thursday March 12, 2009. Hewitt and Nishikorihead line first round action in the desert.

12:12 pm E.S.T.

Today will mark the first day of the 2009 BNP Paribas Masters, as all 32 seeds still have the luxury to sit back andrelax until they action this weekend. In the mean time, lower ranked players must fight out first roundaction during round one. Lleyton Hewitt is will be one of those participants as the 2002 and2003 champ will be third on stadium court today as he will battle Jan Henrych from the Czech Republic. Henrych as been in good form this year, but does not posses any big weapons to trouble the ultra consist Hewitt. However, Lleytonis coming off of hip surgery which means that no match is a “gimme” for him at this point. His long lay off last year resulted in his ranking taking a big hit, as he is now ranked 77 in the world. Hewitt will desperately attempt to get out of the first round here, as he loves the atmosphere in Indian Wells.

The days best match up will see youngster Kei Nishikori battle former world number three, Ivan Ljubicicunder the lights. Nishikoriwho is currently 94 in the world has had a tame start to 2009, as he remains with a modest 4-5 record. Injury problems have also crept into the mix as Kei will have to improve on his fragile body if he is to allow his talents to shine through.

Ljubicic on the other handis on the down side of his career. The big serving Croatian captured his last tour title in 2007 in The Netherlands at ’s-Hertogenbosch, and is a weak 2-5 on the season. Ljubicic will always be remembered for switching racket companies at the top of his game for more money. The switch from Babolat to Head rackets at the beginning of 2007 for monetary reasons, did increase Ivan’s bank account but it also cost him dearly in the rankings. His current rank of 74 in the world is respectable, and with the serve that he has, he can never truly be written off.

Other action in Palm Springs today, which is full of first round action will see good old Vince Spadea kick off the days proceedings as he takes on Igor Kunitsyn of Russia; Juliean Benneteau will battle Philipp Kohlschreiber; Feliciano Lopez will take on Michael Llorda in a servers match; Kevin Kim will be in tough against Ernests Gulbis; Teimuraz Gabashvilli will take on the in form Jose Acasuso; Marc Giquel will take on the talented Simone Bolelli; Tomaz Bellucci another up and coming Brazilian, will battle Janko Tipsarevic,;Steve Darcis will face off against Marcel Granollers; Nicolas Lapentti will battle Santiago Girlaldo; Nicolas Devilder faces Jarkko Neiminen,;Yen-Hsun Lu will go up against Michael Lammer; Albert Montanes versus Florent Serra; Potito Starace against Denis Gremelmayr; and finally Sergiy Stakhovsky will battle American, Brenden Evans.

Please check back as Tennisconnected.com will have daily reviews of the years first Masters 1000 tournament from Indian Wells, California. We will be providing live match scores, as well as daily video and interview highlights on our main page media player.TennisConnected .com will once again be live this year from Indian Wells, as we continue to strive to bring our readers the best coverage possible.

Tournament Preview:

In perhaps the most beautiful tennis atmosphere to be foundat any tournament throughout the entire calender year, the years first Masters 1000 tournament, is set to kick start proceedings later this week as the cream of the crop of the ATP World Tour descendto Palm Springs, California to show case their tennis. With new sponsor BNP Paribas, the beautiful tennis gardens in Indian Wells, will once again be the primary focus of the tennis world over the next two weeks.

Defending champ Novak Djokovic is back as he will attempt to recapture his great form of 2008 when he was arguably the best player on the circuit during the first quarter of the season. Djokovic will have to bring out his “A” game over the next few weeks as all the top 20 players in the world are entered in Palm Springs. Top seed Rafael Nadal will be looking to build on his Aussie Open title as well as his recent Davis Cup heroics, has the 2007 champ (if injury free) the favorite. Roger Federer will also see his first action since being sidelined by a “maintenance back injury” for the past six weeks, as he will be entering Indian Wells fully rested and with new coach Darren Cahill.

Fourthseed Andy Murray will be a question mark during Indian Wells as a viral infection that he sustained in Australia is still lingering. However, with standing that, the Scot has captured two ATP World Tour titles this year and is ultra dangerous on hardcourts.

Other notables are the Americans, who always flourish on home soil. One American who had a remarkable break through last year in Palm Springs, Mardy Fish will be under extreme caution this year as he has 600 points to defend for reaching the finals in 2008. Needless to say, it will be incredibly hard for Fish to repeat that feat. Mardy has had a good year to date, as he won the Delray Beach tournament two weeks ago, as well as reaching the finals of San Jose early in February.

Another American who has never won here, Andy Roddickwill be hoping that his recent recent Davis Cup leadership as well as newly formed partnership with Larry Stefanki will allow him to better his semi-final results of 2005, 2007. Another x-factor in the Roddick corner this year is that his coach won the Indian Wells tournament when it was held at La Quinta in 1985. Larry is a California resident as he works out of the Bobby Riggs club in Encinitas, which is in San Diego. Larry is totally in his element in California, and I am sure that will be a positive for Roddick as he attempts to win the only North American hardcourt tournament that has eluded him.

With a great two weeks of tennis on deck, let us now take a look at the top four seeds and each of their quadrants.

Rafael Nadal:

At this point saying that Rafa has a bad draw on any surface, is a little far fetched. The Spaniard has proven that he can play on any surface, against any opponent, andcome away the victor. As all 32 seeds in the 128 player draw receive a first roundbye, Nadalsfirst round opponent will in all likelihood be Kevin Anderson from South Africa. Anderson who is 6′7″ has a big game, and did defeat NovakDjokovicin the opening round of the Miami Masters 1000 in 2008. Anderson has the perfect arsenal to trouble Rafa on the quick hardcourts in Palm Springs, especially since it will be Nadals first outdoor hardcourt match in over a month. I still believe Nadal should move on but it will definitely be an entertaining match.

Moving along, the draw continues to become difficult as 26 seed DmitryTursunovcould be waiting in roundthree. Tursunovhas a huge game, but does not have a the mental focus to keep up withRafa. In the fourthround Nadal could be up against some stiff competition as either 21 seed Tomas Berdych or 14th seed David Nalbandian could be waiting. Both of these hardcourt experts have given Nadal his share of trouble over the years, Berdych can take the ball early and punish Rafa, while Nalbandian who is a court savvy veteran knows the geometry of the court as well as anyone. If Nadalsurvives his tough fourthround match-up, his quarter-final foe could be either 9th seed Gael Monfils, 24 seed Marat Safin, or tough Argentine, 8th seed Juan Martin Del Potro. I am not sure Safin has the confidence to reach the quarter-finals, as he certainly has the game. Monfils has picked up his level in a big way this year, as he already has a win over Nadal in 2009. As long as Monfils is not playing Nadal in a final (as he has lost six of seven career finals) he definitely has a shot. Del Potro is a bit of a wild card here, as he remains mentally fatigued from his great run last year and is holding his best for the up coming clay court season. Nevertheless Rafa is Rafa and should be good to make it to the semi-finals.

Pick: Nadal

Roger Federer:

Secondseed Roger Federercomes into Indian Wells witha gamut of questions to answer. Has got over his epic five set loss to Nadalat the Aussie Open? Is his “maintenance back injury” more severe than once thought? Finally how will his new partnership with Darren Cahill benefit his form immediately? Well I will say this, if Federerwas hoping for a draw that he could ease his way into, he is not going to get that in Palm Springs. R-Fed’s first match will in all likelihood be against tough andmuch improved Simone Bolelli of Italy. Bolelli has one of the biggest forehands around, and nearly beat Rafa Nadal in Rotterdam earlier this year. I still do not think he has the belief to up end Federer, but there is no question that it will not be a cake walk match.

Moving forward, Roger’s draw continues to get ultra difficult as 27 seed Ivo Karlovicwho defeated Federerin Cincinnati last summer will be waiting in round three. As always one needs to be sharp against Karlovic as it always comes down to a one or two point match.

If R-Fed can survive the Croatian giant, then either 13th seed James Blake, 17th seed Fernando Gonzalez or unseeded three time champ LleytonHewitt could be waiting in round four. All three of these players are not at their best at the moment, and Roger should be good to get through. Blake did however defeat Fed during the Olympics last summer andI am sure Roger would love a crack at Blake in the round of sixteen.

The quarter-final could perhaps be Federer’s easiest match along his road to the finals as either 5th seed Nikolay Davydenko, 25 seed Robin Soderling, 23 Richard Gasquet or 10th seed Fernando Verdasco could be waiting. Davydenko is coming off of an injury and should not be a dangerous threat at this point, as the championship points that he must defend come the Miami 1000 tournament later this month will surely be on his mind. Soderling who is dangerous on an indoor court, has never really caused to much grief for any of the top players on an outdoor hardcourt. Gasquetis slowly building up his confidence, but one wonders how long that will take, as the flaky Frenchmen withall the talent in the world, can never seem to get it together. Finally, Fernando Verdascowho played perhaps the best match of 2009, withRafa Nadalat the Aussie, could be dangerous, but he also has been sidelined withan ankle injury since that epic encounter. All in all with Cahill in his corner, Roger should reach the semi-finals, but it will not be easy.

Pick: Federer

Novak Djokovic:

After two disappointing Davis Cup losses in Spain over the weekend, defending champ NovakDjokovicshould be very pleased with the draw that he was granted. The Serb whose has a 1000 ranking points at stake if he is ousted early here, will take on either a qualifier or Martin VassalloArguelloof Argentina in his first match. After that is out of the way, an interesting third round with veterans Tommy Haas or 29 Rainer Schuettler could take place. I do not think either of this players can defeat Novak, but they both have the experience to give him a good match.

Moving on, Novaks good friend and 18thseed Radek Stepanekcould be waiting in round four, as 16th seed Stanislas Wawrinka or unseeded San Francisco, native Sam Querrey could also be waiting. Querrey could have a break through tournament here, as he does have the right mind set to trouble Djokovic. The trouble is that Sam can also get off his game in a hurry andhave a horrible day at the office, like he did in the second roundof Delray Beach against Christophe Rochus. In all likelihood, Stepanek will be Novaks fourthroundopponent as the Czech has had a wonderful year in which he has captured two ATP World Tour titles, madethe finals in Memphis as well as propelling his Davis Cup team, over the heavily favored French team in round one.

If Novak can squeeze by Stepanek, 12th seed David Ferrer, defending finalist and 20th seed Mardy Fish, 31st seed Nicholas Kiefer or 7th seed Andy Roddick could be potential quarter-finals opponents. I do not think Kieferwill be able to cause too much damage here as he is coming off of injury, Ferrerseems to be getting his confidence back, but will have to get through Fish in the third round, andfinally Roddickwho is playing with more purpose than ever this year, can cause some serious adversity for Djokovic. WithCalifornia karma on his side, (as well as a recent win over Novakat the Aussie Open) look for Roddickto have a great match withFish in fourthround, and a blockbuster upset win over Novak in the quarter-finals.

Pick: Roddick

Andy Murray:

The last quarter of the draw sees fourthseed Andy Murray, (who is still day to day withhis viral infection) have perhaps the toughest quarter of the draw in terms of talented players. Murray will have a relatively easy first match witheither Florent Serra or Albert Montanesas he should attain a good warm up in that encounter. In the third round 32 seed Paul-Henri Mathieucould be waiting, as the up anddown Frenchmen has a nice game but does not possess the focus to keep up with the Scot.

Moving on, a popcorn match could be on the horizon in the fourthround as either 19th seed Marin Cilic or 15th seed Tommy Robredo could be Murray’s opponents. Robredo had a fantastic February as he captured two titles and went 14-2 over the month. Cilic also has been on fire this year as he has also captured two titles and is making his rapid decent to the worlds top ten. Murray could very well lose to Cilic in round four, if the Croatian can stay composed and execute his game plan.

I would still say Murray is the favorite in a potential Cilicencounter, but not by a wide margin. The quarter-finals could bring fortha powerhouse of players for Murray to deal with as either 8th seed Gilles Simon, 28th seed Igor Andreev, or 11th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, would all be dangerous opponents. There are also two up and coming youngsters in this section that could make some noise, as Kei Nishikori andErnests Gulbis, (both future top ten players) could make a deep run in Indian Wells. I still like Tsongaas Murray potential quarter-final opponents, as the Le Mans, native has a dream anda vision to be the worlds very best player, as he surely has the firepower to back it up. With a lot of consideration, Tsonga seems primed to pounce back into the top ten, and make the “big four” and even bigger five.

Pick: Tsonga

Please check back as Tennisconnected.com will have daily reviews of the years first Masters 1000 tournament from Indian Wells, California. We will be providing live match scores, as well as daily video and interview highlights on our main page media player. TennisConnected.com will once again be live this year from Indian Wells, as we continue to strive to bring our readers the best coverage possible.