Already craving for high-level tennis action? Fear not. The best tennis players in the world will descend up Indian Wells for the 2016 BNP Paribas Open. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will be back to defend the title he won in 2014 and 2015. But he’ll have a handful of challengers lined up for a shot at him.
Can Djokovic win this tournament for the third straight year? Or will someone rise from the rest of the pack to upend the Serb? Read on as we take a look at the top contenders for the 2016 BNP Paribas Open.
Tennis players won’t be the only ones swinging their arms. The best golf players will be teeing off at the Valspar Championship. Check out our complete golf tournament preview as well as the top sleeper picks for that event.
Australian Open Champion Novak Djokovic isn’t looking pretty hot at the moment. After winning the first Grand Slam of the season, he lost in the quarterfinals in Dubai. He’s currently playing in the Serbia vs. Kazakhstan leg of the Davis Cup. The world No. 1 needed five whole sets to beat Mikhail Kukushkin to enter the final eight of the tournament.
Nevertheless, expect Djokovic to be back to his usual dominant self when he heads to the United States for the 2016 BNP Paribas Open. He’s won the past two iterations of the tournament in 2014 and 2015. He’ll have an even more manageable time defending his title this time around with the absence of rival Roger Federer due to an injury.
Andy Murray
Andy Murray is the second seed of the 2016 BNP Paribas Open. He has been excellent thus far this season with a runner-up finish at the Australian Open. He hasn’t been too active, most recently getting past Kei Nishikori in the first round of the Davis Cup to make the quarterfinals.
Being the second seed, Murray will be able to avoid long-time rival Novak Djokovic until the tournament final (if he gets there). He had no trouble dispatching of his opposition last year. He defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in three sets, and won against Adrian Mannarino and Feliciano Lopez each in straight sets. His only loss at Indian Wells was a straight-sets loss to Djokovic.
Sleepers
Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka has already won two Grand Slam titles. But he’s still unheralded compared to the Big Four of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The Swiss is no stranger to big upsets, though. He upstaged Djokovic’s bid for a calendar Grand Slam last year with a shock win in the French Open final.
Wawrinka has won his last nine tournament finals, including two this year. He most recently won the Dubai Tennis Championship after beating the likes of Philipp Kohlschreiber and Nick Kyrgios. If he can use his remarkable power early on at Indian Wells, then the tournament crown may be his for the taking.
Kei Nishikori
Kei Nishikori has failed to mount any sort of momentum thus far. He’s been inconsistent this year going 11-4 through his first five tournaments. He won the Memphis Open, but it was against less-than-stellar competition since it was only a 250-point tournament.
Nevertheless, Nishikori is one of the up-and-comers with plenty of upside this season. He’s coming off a very solid 2015 season with victories over the likes of Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic and Rafael Nadal. All he needs is one big match to really get his momentum going.
Long Shot
John Isner
John Isner is a very live dog, especially at home in the United States. He’s already pretty hot after winning against Bernard Tomic in the Australia vs. USA leg of the Davis Cup. He also had a pretty good outing at the Australian Open. He reached the Round of 16, where he lost to David Ferrer in straight sets.
Isner had a pretty good outing against Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells last year. While he lost in straight sets, he almost forced a third bringing the world No. 1 to a tiebreaker in the second.
Writer’s Prediction
Stan Wawrinka sneaks by to nab his third singles title this year.
