2017 Indian Wells Masters: 5 players we would like to see perform
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.