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Indian Wells: Star names enter the doubles, Nadal and Federer in

By Geoff Nichols

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Indian Wells: Star names enter the doubles, Nadal and Federer in

Indian Wells is often said the be the unofficial fifth Grand Slam and this year they certainly have a doubles field that matches this reputation. It is a growing tradition for stars to enter the doubles event alongside the singles at the BNP Paribas Open and 2015 is no different.

The big name doubles specialists dominate the top eight seeds as you would expect, with the Bryan brothers taking the top seed spot after they were powerless to prevent the United States from losing their Davis Cup tie against Great Britain last weekend.

Mardy Fish, Jack Sock, Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro are all returning

The draw also signals the return of a number of big names in the tennis world, with the likes of Mardy Fish, Jack Sock, Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro returning for spells out of the game to enter the 32 team doubles event that is sure to create a lot of excitement.

Top Singles Players in Doubles Field

A number of the world’s biggest names in tennis have found doubles partners for Indian Wells when they usually focus their time and energy on singles at the majority of tournaments around the world. Roger Federer is in the doubles draw alongside fellow Swiss played Michael Lammer.

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Rafael Nadal

, who is still very much searching for his best form in singles, has entered with Argentine Pablo Carreno Busta, with Nadal clearly intent on keeping the focus placed on his tennis instead of choosing a headline making doubled partner.

One of the more interesting pairings is between Andy Murray and rising Australian star Thanasi Kokkinakis, which is sure to be a great duo to watch. Elsewhere Grigor Dimitrov partners the returning Mardy Fish, who has been out of the game since 2013.

Juan Martin del Potro Makes Return in Doubles

A token of optimism for Juan Martin del Potro fans is that he is in the doubles draw alongside Marin Cilic, despite having to withdraw from the singles event. We reported that he was awarded a wild card for the singles, although clearly he wants a more gradual return to competitive action.

Fans are rightly sceptical as to whether the duo well actually take to the court, with neither man having played in 2015, however if it is to happen then it is an encouraging step for del Potro as he patiently tries to put his injury problems behind him.

Next: Will Stan Wawrinka be a one slam wonder?

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