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

#2 Angelique Kerber

Having already been assured of the No. 1 ranking due to Serena Williams’ withdrawal from the tournament

The German was in the form of her life last year as she reached three Grand Slam finals, winning at the Australian and US Opens but losing at Wimbledon. Her consistent performances last year helped her attain the World No. 1 ranking, dethroning Serena Williams who had held the position for more than three and a half years.

However, things haven’t been going very well for Kerber this year so far. Kerber began 2017 by reaching the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International where she was beaten by Elina Svitolina in three sets. This was followed by a disastrous second round exit at the Sydney International at the hands of Daria Kasatkina.

Kerber could not defend her title at the Australian Open as she was ousted in the fourth round by eventual semi-finalist Coco Vandeweghe. With Serena Williams winning the tournament, Kerber lost the No. 1 ranking to her and slipped to No. 2.

The German suffered a second defeat to Kasatkina in a month in the second round of the Qatar Open. She followed it up with her best performance of the year so far at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she reached the semi-finals before being defeated by eventual champion Elina Svitolina, which was her second defeat to the Ukrainian this year.

Kerber has been far from displaying her best form this year and she would want to put an end to her inconsistencies at the Indian Wells Masters, a tournament where she has endured poor performances in recent times, having being eliminated in the second round from 2014-2016 after consecutive semi-final appearances in 2012 and 2013.

Given her current form, one would not expect too much from the German but we would we love to watch Angelique Kerber at her best. Her ability to transform defence into offence using her counter-punching skills always makes her a feared opponent and having recovered from a knee injury, there’s a good chance that Kerber might end her disappointing streak at the Indian Wells Masters.

Kerber has been handed a fairly decent draw and she should be able to reach the quarter-finals where her most likely opponent would be either one of Venus Williams or Aga Radwanska. With Serena Williams out of the competition, Kerber is already assured of the No. 1 ranking at the conclusion of the tournament.

Nevertheless, we have always loved to see Angelique Kerber at her very best and would want to see her dominating opponents at Indian Wells through her counter-punching abilities.