ATP Miami Masters men’s preview: Who will step up to the challenge?

The first Masters Series tournament at Indian Wells saw a series of upsets on the way to a final between familiar foes Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. A humdinger of a final which gave the crowd their money’s worth acted as a perfect prelude to what we can expect in Florida this week.

With the newfound resurgence of Roger Federer, the return of David Ferrer, the consistency of Novak Djokovic, the ever-present threat of Rafael Nadal and the comeback journey for defending champion Andy Murray, Miami is bound to throw its fair share of thrills for tennis fans around the world.

Let’s have a look at the draw and who the favourites might clash with on their possible paths to glory:

First Quarter:

Rafael Nadal returns to Miami after not playing last year. With no points to defend, he will have a good chance to strengthen his lead over Djokovic.

World number 1 Rafael Nadal is the highest seed in this section of the draw, which is a no-brainer considering he is the top seed at the tournament. He will start off his campaign against the winner of the match between former world number 1 Lleyton Hewitt and Robin Haase. An intriguing fourth round clash against Fabio Fognini awaits the Spaniard if things go according to script.

According to the draw released, Juan Martin Del Potro was the second-highest seeded player in the quarter. However, with his wrist injury giving him trouble, the Argentine has had to withdraw from the tournament.

With Del Potro out due to injury, the likes of Milos Raonic, Jerzy Janowicz, Gael Monfils and Vasek Pospisil would have a golden opportunity to make it deep in the draw.

Quarter Final Prediction: Rafael Nadal vs Milos Raonic

Second Quarter:

After having his winning streak broken in California, Stanislas Wawrinka would be gearing to bring his year back on track.

Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka heads this section while Tomas Berdych is the other top 10 player. This quarter of the draw has quite a few in-form players. The semifinalists in California, John Isner and Alexandr Dolgopolov, along with Croat Marin Cilic look set to make for some exciting viewing.

To add to that, marathon man Giles Simon and veteran Tommy Haas are also present here. Despite not having any of the “Big Four”, there could be some entertaining matches to look out for.

Quarter Final Prediction: Stanislas Wawrinka vs John Isner

Third Quarter:

Indian Wells finalist Roger Federer would look to continue his impressive form in Miami

Roger Federer and David Ferrer are the highest-ranked players in this quarter. The Swiss maestro could have a tricky opening clash against big-serving Ivo Karlovic, with a possible third round clash against Richard Gasquet or Acapulco finalist Kevin Anderson.

On the other hand, David Ferrer is making a comeback after an adductor injury. The first major challenge for Ferrer would be Italian Andreas Seppi in the third round. The Spaniard could bump into in-form Grigor Dimitrov or Asian number 1 Kei Nishikori in the round of 16. With the recent success of “Baby Fed”, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bulgarian makes it to the last 8 from this section.

Quarter Final Prediction: Roger Federer vs Grigor Dimitrov

Fourth Quarter:

Defending champion Andy Murray would be gunning for his first final this year in Miami.

For quite some time now, Novak Djokovic has got away to the business end of marquee tournaments with relatively easy draws as compared to his major rivals. However, this time the law of averages has finally caught up with the Serb.

The Indian Wells winner is placed in the same quarter as defending champion Andy Murray and may well have to overcome all the members of the “Big Four” to prevail in Miami. But before that, an intriguing fourth round contest against Ernests Gulbis looms as an even earlier threat.

Defending champion Andy Murray could have his share of tough matches as well; he will likely have a tough fourth round match against hard hitting Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. With all the fire-power locked into one quarter, this for me is the most exciting part of the draw.

Quarter Final Prediction: Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray