5 things to look forward to at the 2015 Indian Wells Masters

The tennis season is off to an intriguing start, with the big four in lime light again, as has been the trend for the last decade or so.Novak Djokovic won his fifth title in Australia, becoming the only man in open era to do so. Roger has looked sharp again, and had a terrific win against Djokovic in the Dubai Open finals, displaying high quality attacking tennis on a fast surface.Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have both been looking to get back into top rhythm again. Andy Murray reached the Australian Open final, looking great till he fizzled out unexpectedly in the last two sets. Nadal won his first ATP title after nine months, winning in Buenos Aires last week.All the top players have descended at Indian Wells and will be gunning for a good show in the tournament. As the battles start to unravel, let us analyse some of the key things to look forward to in this tournament.

#1 Rafa Nadals comeback trail

Rafael Nadal has had a torrid last nine months

Nadal has had a pretty terrible time in the last nine months. After winning his ninth French Open title in June 2014, Nadal suffered from multiple injuries and missed most of the 2014 season.

His comeback this year has been marked by inconsistent play and health issues. His quarterfinal loss to Tomas Berdych was a demolition job. He also struggled with cramps and fitness issues in the Rio Open, losing to Fabio Fognini; his first semifinal loss on clay for more than 10 years.

He had a good tournament at Buenos Aires, where he finally won silverware after this long drought. He will be looking ahead to this prestigious hard court event, where he is a former three time champion.

Indian Wells provides him an opportunity to get some much needed confidence in his game. Expect Nadal to put up a good show here.

#2 Can Roger Federer continue his upsurge?

Federer will be looking for more titles this year

Roger Federer has had another great start to the season, having already won two titles this year. He beat the top dog and in form guy in Novak Djokovic in the Dubai Open finals, displaying great attacking front court tennis.

Federer looks completely motivated and will be gunning to win more big titles this year. He is a four time former champion here and will look to add more to the tally. His biggest potential challenge is a match up with Nadal in the semifinals.

Nadal has had an edge over Federer on outdoor hard courts, leading the head to head 8-2. If Federer can continue to play this attacking brand against Nadal and beat him, it will be a big boost to his confidence for the remainder of the season.

#3 Andy Murray and the quest for greatness

Murray will look to return to form

Andy Murray had a horrid 2014, failing to win a single Masters 1000 title, and struggled with fitness issues throughout.

This year saw great tennis from him in the Australian Open, reaching the final there for a fourth time. However he failed to take the final step again, and lost to Novak Djokovic in the summit clash.

The sad part was his mental breakdown in the third set, which set him on a downward spiralling path, leading to a bagel in the fourth set.

Murray would like to desperately win some big titles, and gain some victories over the big three. It will give him the confidence to be a top contender again at the Slams, and set him up for the fall season. Expect to see a good effort from the Scot at the tournament.

#4 Novak Djokovics surge towards immortality

Djokovic is slowly edging towards greatness

Djokovic has made another rollicking start to the season, winning his fifth Australian Open title, thus becoming the only man in Open era to do so.

Djokovic has been the most consistent amongst the big four in the last few years, dominating and winning on all surfaces. He has even been tipped by some as the only man capable of winning the calendar Grand Slam.

The World No.1 would like to gain further momentum here and build up more confidence for the coming clay season. He would dearly love to win the elusive French Open title, and win as many Slams this season as possible.

His biggest foes Nadal and Murray are a little short on confidence and titles in the last year or so, and Djokovic would like to continue his superiority over them. Expect some fiery tussles between the trio as the season progresses.

#5 Cilic, Nishikori, Dimitrov, Raonic and the chasing pack

Can Cilic be consistent in Grand Slams?

The other guys chasing the big four had some remarkable achievements in 2014, winning two of the four Grand Slam titles and pushing the big four like never before.

However 2015 has started again on a familiar note, with the top guys dominating again.

The chasing pack with guys like Cilic, Raonic and Nishikori would dearly love to topple the big stars and have a shot at a title at this big event. They would like to make a statement early on in the season.

However, considering the current form and motivation of the top guys, don’t expect any miracle here this time. A member of the big four would again be holding the title at Indian Wells 2015.