Going in, 3 of the big 4 have played in recent weeks with Nadal taking a break finally. Will anyone break the stranglehold the top 4 guys have had on Masters series tournaments? Soderling was the last to do it at the Paris Indoor in 2010!
Room for 1 More?
For me, Juan Del Potro is the clear number 5 and he should be there soon. Raonic is top 10 material and it will be fascinating to see him go up against Federer in a potential 3rd round clash, but he would meet The Rog in top form.
Long John Isner will also be a big threat on the hard courts and gets an easy draw to potentially meet fellow American Mardy Fish 4th round. An other American I like to do well are the Ryan Sweeting who gets a decent early draw. I think some of the American wild cards will cause a few surprises in general and a brave, but savvy pick would be Nalbandian to do some damage, who if gets hot, can cut through a draw like a wronged samurai seeking revenge.
Some top 1st round matches to tune in for are battle of the vets in Jarrko Nieminen vs. Tommy ‘Gun’ Haas and Michael Llodra vs. Ernests Gulbis
Let’s break it down.
Level: ATP 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Defending Champion: Novak Djokovic
Dark Horse: Milos ‘Baby Face’ Raonic
Unseeded Dangermen: David ‘Nails’ Nalbandian, Sam Querrey, Nikolay Davydenko
My pick: Novak Djokovic
Watch:
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