| MUMBAI:
Get ready for some thrilling tennis as the world’s top players gather in
Indian Wells, California for the BNP Paribas Open. In
the men’s draw three time winner Roger Federer will be back in action for
the first time since his dominant performance in the Australian Open. The Swiss
player’s excellent start to the season has been interrupted by a bout of
lung infection. The world number one seemed to be in the best form of his career
in Melbourne and experts have predicted he will dominate this season and may go
on to complete a Grand Slam. Federer says his priority is to retain his number
one ranking and a win in Indian Wells will be a warning to his rival that the
Swiss is back at his best. World
number three Rafael Nadal will be hoping to defend the title he won last year
in a one sided final against Andy Murray. Nadal has won the event thrice and having
won 15 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title is placed just one behind Roger Federer
and two behind all time leader Andre Agassi. Like Federer, Nadal will also be
making a comeback here. The Spaniard appears to be on the mend following the latest
knee injury that affected him at the Australian Open, and he has been back in
full training at home in Mallorca However
Nadal is yet some way off from his best and the man most likely to challenge Roger
Federer will be number 2 seed Novak Djokovic. Even though he did not win a grand
slam last year the Serb was remarkably consistent. He appeared in 10 ATP finals
winning 5 titles. He has a good start to 2010 winning the Dubai Championships.
In fact the
elite of tennis will be in action at Indian Wells. The field comprises all the
top 10 players in the world with the sole exception of the Juan Martin del Porto
who is suffering from a wrist injury. So stay tuned to Ten Sports and make sure
you do not miss out on any of the excitement that lies ahead. Additional
Information: The BNP Paribas Open, the first of nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000
events, showcases the best men's and women's players at the Indian Wells Tennis
Garden. The tournament is played on hard courts and is the best-attended tennis
tournament outside the four Grand Slam tournaments. In 2009, the Coachella Valley
welcomed a record 332,498 people to the 12-day tournament, eclipsing the mark
set the previous year when it became the first tournament outside of the Grand
Slams to pass the 300,000 mark. | 
