With Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray out of this event, the top seed honors goes to Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion. Looking back at his record in Miami, things haven’t gone his way as the right-handed Swiss has never even reached the quarterfinal round. That drought, however, could end if he is able to capitalize on the afterglow of his excellent run to the finals in Indian Wells last week.
Wawrinka, who is 12-4 in hard courts this season, is also in a relatively easy draw that features some notable threats in Alexander Zverev, John Isner, Nick Kyrgios and one of last year’s semifinalist David Goffin.
Kei Nishikori
Like Wawrinka, the second-seeded Kei Nishikori doesn’t boast a nice resume in this kind of events—he’s never won a Masters tournament. Nishikori also didn’t play his best tennis in Indian Wells last week, getting eliminated by Jack Sock in the quarterfinal round. But the Japanese star’s 17-6 career record in Miami, including a finals appearance a year ago, tells us that now could be his time to finally bag that maiden Masters 1000 title. Nishikori even said so himself that he feels right at home here.
Milos Raonic
The last time we saw Milos Raonic was at the Delray Beach final, where he was forced to retire due to a hamstring injury. It’s good to know that he’s healthy enough to come back in Miami, but for sure, we can expect some rustiness from the Canadian’s play. Still, we can’t disregard the World No. 5 from contention especially after his breakout performance in 2016.
Sleeper
Roger Federer
There’s no one playing better tennis than Roger Federer right now. The 18-time Grand Slam champion, and your reigning Australian Open champ enters this tournament coming off a successful finish in Indian Wells, where he bested all of his opponents, including Rafael Nadal and Wawrinka, in straight sets to win the title.
However, Federer could be silenced early in Miami with Juan Martin del Potro being his potential second-round matchup.
Long Shot
David Ferrer
It’s been a tough year for David Ferrer thus far. He’s only 3-5 this season, and has been booted out in the opening round in his last two tourneys. But he’s had some moments to remember in Miami, particularly a runner-up finish in 2013. Can he replicate that effort?
