Rafael Nadal’s projected Indian Wells draw: Roger Federer showdown awaits for Spaniard
RAFAEL NADAL’s projected Indian Wells draw - Express Sport brings you the Spaniard’s path to the final in California.
Rafael Nadal prepares for the BNP Paribas Open in California
A three-time Indian Wells champion, Nadal is looking for his first success since 2013 having watched rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic extend their number of wins to five apiece since.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion comes into this event after being stunned by Nick Kyrgios in the Mexican Open round of 16 last week.
That was the first time ever that Nadal has competed in Acapulco without at least reaching the final.
And the world No 2’s projected draw at Indian Wells sees him expected to have to overcome three top-10 opponents for his fourth win at this tournament.
RAFAEL NADAL - PROJECTED INDIAN WELLS DRAW (based on ATP rankings)
First Round - Bye
Second Round - Jared Donaldson
Third Round - Diego Schwartzmann
Fourth Round - Daniil Medvedev
Quarter Final - John Isner
Semi Final - Roger Federer
Final - Novak Djokovic
Nadal has only ever faced wild-card Donaldson once, beating him 6-2, 6-1 at the Shanghai Masters in 2017.
The 32-year-old is then expected to take on Argentina’s Schwartzman, who he boasts a perfect 6-0 record against.
The pair last met in the French Open quarter-finals last year, with Schwartzman taking the first set before Nadal rallied back en route to his 11th Roland Garros crown.
Medvedev and Nadal, surprisingly, have never met but they could go head-to-head in the fourth round.
In the quarters, another player who Nadal has an unbeaten record (7-0) against potentially awaits in American Isner.
And after that, Nadal could enjoy a 39th career clash with long-time rival Federer.
It would be the first time the pair have met since 2017. They have met three times in Indian Wells previously, with Federer enjoying a 3-2 record.
Should Nadal progress past that, he would likely be met with world No 1 Novak Djokovic in the final.
The winner of the last three Grand Slams, including a straight-sets Australian Open win over Nadal in January, Djokovic is the favourite to win in Indian Wells.
The Serbian has a 28-25 career record against Nadal having won both of their last two matches.