On the men's side, 48 of the top 50 players will be there, including all of the top 20 men. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and James Blake are all scheduled to play. Sort of like having an extra Slam in the Spring!
On the women's side, top players include Ana Ivanovic, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina. Noticeably absent – both of the Williams sisters who haven't played this tournament for the past few years since Venus withdrew from a semifinal against her sister and the resultant fan backlash was interpreted as racial. Maria Sharapova is expected to play but only in doubles. So it should be interesting to see who comes out as the top woman at Indian Wells.
I'll keep up and let you know!
© Kim Selzman 2009
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