Last year, the men’s draw in Miami really suffered with the losses of Federer and Nadal. This year though it’s packed with all the big names. David Ferrer and Juan Martin del Potro are both set to return after missing Indian Wells, although DelPo remains a doubt regarding his participation. Please vote in the poll at the bottom of the post for who you think will win Miami!
FIRST QUARTER: R.Nadal (1) v J.M. del Potro (8)
Juan Martin del Potro
Rafael Nadal was unable to defend his Indian Wells title last week, suffering a surprise third round exit at the hands of Alexandr Dolgopolov. Unlike the tough draw he was dealt in the desert, this week is likely to be much more manageable. First up for Rafa is Lleyton Hewitt or Robin Haase and the first seed he could play is Dmitry Tursunov. Jerzy Janowicz and Fabio Fognini will be the most likely contenders to face Nadal in the 4th round. Janowicz laboured to a second round loss to Alejandro Falla in Indian Wells. He is likely to meet Roberto Bautista-Agut in the second round, who beat Tomas Berdych last week and has generally been playing very well this year.
Why DelPo why?! We don’t know what’s going on with the wrist, but it still gives me shivers to see his name in the draw. He pulled out last minute in Indian Wells and it is highly probable he could do the same in Miami. If he does step onto the court, his first match will be against Federico Delbonis or Ryan Harrison. This is a pretty ropey section with Vasek Pospisil seeded to meet Juan Martin del Potro in the third round. Pospisil hasn’t won a match since pulling out of the Australian Open through injury. Two names who will fancy their chances of making the quarters are Milos Raonic and Gael Monfils. Raonic did remarkably well to make the quarter-finals in Indian Wells in his first tournament since the Australian Open. He is seeded to meet Monfils in the third round; Monfils leads the head-to-head 2-0; however for one reason or another, I really like Raonic’s chances in Miami.
1st Round Predictions: Hewitt d. Haase in 3 sets, Istomin d. Mahut in 2 sets, Klahn d. G-Lopez in 3 sets and Delbonis d. Harrison in 3 sets
Moo’s Quarter-Final Prediction: Nadal v Raonic
SECOND QUARTER: S.Wawrinka (3) v T.Berdych (7)
John Isner
Stanislas Wawrinka headlines a section that features a number of Indian Wells’s star performers. Wawrinka won through two rounds in the desert, but was stopped in his tracks by Kevin Anderson in the 4th round. His first challenge in Miami will come in the third round in one of the most eye-catching potential match-ups against Marin Cilic. Indian Wells semi-finalist, Alexandr Dolgopolov is also a player that Wawrinka may have to contend with before the quarter-finals. Dolgopolov has been on a fine run of form since making the final in Rio.
Tomas Berdych fell early in Indian Wells to Roberto Bautista-Agut in what was one of the shocks of the tournaments. Berdych, who is defending quarter-final points from Miami, will play Stephane Robert or a qualifier in the second round. His draw looks very reasonable with John Isner, Gilles Simon and Nicolas Almagro the three seeds in his section. Isner reached the semi-finals in Indian Wells, pushing Djokovic into a third set; however he looked to be dealing with a leg injury in the conclusion of that match. Almagro missed Indian Wells through injury and Simon lost his first match to Dominic Thiem; therefore Berdych really should fancy his chances of reaching at least the quarter-finals.
1st Round Predictions: Roger-Vasselin d. Sijsling in 2 tight sets, Nieminen d. Tomic in 3 sets, Berlocq d. Young, Querrey d. Stakhovsky in 3 sets and Sousa d. Carreno-Busta in 3 sets
Moo’s Quarter-Final Prediction: Wawrinka v Berdych
THIRD QUARTER: R.Federer (5) v D.Ferrer (4)
David Ferrer
There were a few quotes from Roger Federer that suggested he might pull out of Miami, but he remains in the draw where he could meet Ivo Karlovic in the second round. Federer is on a very decent run of form having made semi-finals or better at the four tournaments he has played this year. His draw is certainly more testing than it was at Indian Wells with Fernando Verdasco, Kevin Anderson and Richard Gasquet all resting in his section. Gasquet and Anderson are seeded to meet in the third round, which would be an enticing match-up. Gasquet has been poor so far this year compared to Anderson, who has performed exceptionally well at his last couple of tournaments, which included a huge win over Wawrinka in Indian Wells. Gasquet may be the higher seed, but Anderson would be the favourite to make the last 16.
David Ferrer makes his return after skipping Indian Wells due to a leg injury. It is rare to see Ferrer pull out of such a big event, which highlights the severity of the injury. His first match of the week will be a gentle ease back into proceedings, against Marcel Granollers or Teymuraz Gabashvili. The highlight from this section of the draw is a possible match-up in round three between Grigor Dimitrov and Kei Nishikori. Dimitrov has been enjoying a fine year after he reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and won his first ATP 500 title in Acapulco. The tournament in Mexico felt like a huge moment for Dimitrov and this draw offers potential for him to continue his stellar year. Nishikori though is a fine competitor and he beat Dimitrov in Shanghai last year. Nishikori has shown glimpses of his best form in 2014; however his momentum keeps getting halted by injuries.
1st Round Predictions: Matosevic d. Falla in 3 sets, Stepanek d. Brands in 2 sets and Gabashvili d. Granollers in 3 sets
Moo’s Quarter-Final Prediction: Federer v Dimitrov
FOURTH QUARTER: A.Murray (6) v N.Djokovic (2)
Andy Murray
Miami promises to be a crucial tournament for Andy Murray as he continues on the hunt for his best form. Murray, who is the Miami defending champion, will be eager to rack up wins and more importantly, gain confidence ahead of the clay court season, which has historically been his least favoured stretch on the calendar. Early days, he should have no worries with a second round tie against Matt Ebden or Lukasz Kubot and a third round match against Feliciano Lopez, who he defeated at this year’s Australian Open.
In the fourth round, Murray could meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Both Murray and Tsonga are going through similar struggles in that they have not been able to rediscover their best form after long lay-offs from the tour in the second half of 2013. Tsonga’s form has been more worrying after he was on the first plane out of Indian Wells, suffering a second round exit to Julien Benneteau. However, Miami offers another clean slate and I fancy both to make the last 16.
The final section of the Miami draw features Novak Djokovic, who won his first title of the year in Indian Wells. The Serb produced a fine performance to defeat Federer in a brilliant final. His confidence and poise in the key moments has come under the microscope of late, but he really should have taken a boost from winning in a field that was akin to a a Grand Slam. In the second round, Djokovic will play Juan Monaco or Jeremy Chardy. The most intriguing aspect of Djokovic’s draw is that he could play Ernests Gulbis in the 4th round.
1st Round Predictions: Vesely d. Volandri in 3 sets, Giraldo d. Baghdatis in 3 sets, Davydenko d. Mannarino in 2 tight sets, Benneteau d. Edmund in 3 sets and Chardy d. Monaco in 2 tight sets
Moo’s Quarter-Final Prediction: Murray v Djokovic
Who Will Win?
Nadal has a much better draw in Miami and he is my tip to win, beating Djokovic in the final. In regards to a dark horse, I really like Dimitrov’s chances of going deep.
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