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Indian Wells Masters: looking at Rafael Nadal’s draw and chances

By Harry Floyd

Sept 2, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Rafael Nadal of Spain hits to Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia (not pictured) on day five of the 2016 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Sept 2, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Rafael Nadal of Spain hits to Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia (not pictured) on day five of the 2016 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indian Wells Masters is underway with qualifiers action and the announcement of initial draws. Here’s a look at Rafael Nadal’s chances this week.

The Indian Wells Masters is a tournament  Rafael Nadal knows well.

Nadal is a three-time winner at Indian Wells. Falling behind only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in career titles at the BNP Paribas Open, the Spaniard is a strong contender this week.

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Nadal last won the tournament in 2013. In fact, he is the last person to win the men’s singles tournament here beyond Djokovic. The Serbian is the current champion three-times running.

Here’s how the initial draw looks for Nadal.

He finds himself in a portion of the bracket with fellow countrymen Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Fernando Verdasco. Nadal, the world No. 6 has the potential to face both if he hopes to advance. Looking beyond these two potential draws is the possibility of facing either Djokovic of Federer.

Nadal might face Federer in their third matches and then Djokovic in a fourth in order to make the semifinals at Indian Wells. The possibilities create the potential for a rematch of this year’s Australian Open finals and another classic showdown between either Djokovic and Nadal or Federer.

The field is incredibly competitive this week at Indian Wells. With Andy Murray as the top seeded player in men’s singles, he does not have the experience that Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic have at the tournament. This week is a chance for Rafael Nadal to once again become the men’s singles champion at the BNP Paribas Open. Stay tuned to see how Nadal and others fare at the Indian Wells Masters.

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