By Erik Gudris | Wednesday, March 5, 2014

 

This year's BNP Paribas Open will see the world's best men reconvene after a wild Australian Open in January. Will order be restored or can we expect another surprise in the winner's circle?

Photo Credit: Corleve

Indian Wells will find the ATP's best all back together again. With many players entering as question marks, who will find the answers they need in the desert?

Nadal's section: Top seed Rafael Nadal enters again as the favorite, but that doesn't mean he's an overwhelming pick to win. Despite winning the Rio title, Nadal's tender back is still the subject of speculation as to how fully fit he is. Never one to complain, Nadal probably won't do so about his draw. The Spaniard will start off against Radek Stepanek or Denis Istomin. Later, he could get No. 23 seed Gael Monfils. The always dangerous - yet often injury plagued - Frenchman could make things difficult for Nadal if he's on.

What everyone is really hoping for is a quarterfinal meeting between Nadal and No. 5 seed Andy Murray. That's because neither has faced off against each other since Tokyo in 2011, but Murray himself is recovering from his own back issues. Though his coach, Ivan Lendl, keeps stressing that Murray is on target for a full recovery, the Scot has been vulnerable as of late, suffering losses both in Rotterdam and Acapulco. Milos Raonic or Jerzy Janowicz are possible spoilers to a "Muzzdal" quarter.

Whoever faces the Spaniard, expect Nadal to find a way into the semis.

Pick: Nadal

Wawrinka's section: Remember No. 3 seed Stanislas Wawrinka, winner of this year's Australian Open?

If you need to jog your memory, that's because Wawrinka kept an extremely low profile after Melbourne. Now that he's returning to action at a Masters 1000, the question remains if he is ready to play or if he is still celebrating his maiden Slam title. Ivo Karlovic might be waiting for Wawrinka in the second round. The big serving Karlovic, who reached the Memphis finals, could be a massive headache for Wawrinka right out of the gate. Kevin Anderson, another huge server who made back-to-back finals himself, also looms.

If Wawrinka makes it through, he could set up a quarterfinal showdown with Swiss No. 2 (yes No. 2) Roger Federer. Federer just pulled off a stellar week in winning his sixth Dubai title, and he looks hungry for more. Federer has only lost to Wawrinka once in 14 previous meetings and will want to prove he's still No. 1 (in Switzerland), no matter what the rankings say.

Pick: Federer

Berdych's section: No. 4 seed Tomas Berdych certainly has the tools to win the whole thing. But to do that, he'll first have to navigate a tricky draw. That will include possibly facing the winner of yet another Grigor Dimitrov versus Ernests Gulbis showdown. These two have now split their first two meetings this year and a third encounter could be a doozy.

America's lone hope to do anything in the desert is No. 12 seed John Isner. Though he's reached the final here before, Isner continues to deal with various niggling injuries that could derail his chances. With No. 8 seed Richard Gasquet also not as sharp of late, a surprise quarterfinalist could come out of here.

Pick: Berdych

Djokovic's section: After losing to Federer in the Dubai semis, No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic will be looking to rebound in the desert, and he's got a very kind draw in the early rounds. Djokovic could first be tested by one of two tricky Croatians, either No. 31 seed Ivan Dodig or No. 24 seed Marin Cilic, who has already won two titles this year.

No. 6 seed Juan Martin Del Potro is also in this section, but the Argentine is extremely TBD given his recent wrist issues. This could be an opportunity for No. 9 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but as we all know, nothing is a given for the talented Tsonga.

If Djokovic is seeking to get back in touch with his winning ways, he couldn't have picked a better place than Indian Wells.

Pick: Djokovic

Semis: Nadal d. Federer; Djokovic d. Berdych

Final: Djokovic d. Nadal