Indian Wells 2017: Roger Federer Shines in the Desert & Claims 90th Title

* A Top 11 Due to My Awful Oversight with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

1. Roger Federer – He did not do much at Dubai, but his match play in Melbourne and Indian Wells leaves Roger holding 2 big trophies and claiming 3000 ranking points since January 1st.  90 career titles mean that Federer needs 4 more to tie Ivan Lendl for second place in career titles.  Federer being the hottest player for the first 3 months of 2017 is pretty unexpected and pretty amazing.  Change since last ranking +2
2. Stan Wawrinka – The 2016 US Open champion reached the Aussie semifinal round and the final at Indian Wells.  Both losses came to Federer, but he played some clutch tennis in the desert to reach the final. Change since last ranking +4
3. Rafael Nadal – Rafa has runner-up finishes at the Australian Open and Acapulco to go with a quarterfinal finish in the desert.  His one-sided loss to Querrey raises some questions about being overpowered on faster surfaces.  Change since last ranking + 1
4. Andy Murray – Murray ended 2016 with a great run of victories.  He won Dubai and was runner-up at Qatar.  His losses at Australia and Indian Wells along with his absence at the upcoming event in Miami don’t bode well for a #1 ranked player.  Change since last ranking – 3
5. Grigor Dimitrov – Grigor started 2017 with a title, a  semifinal at the Australian Open, and a title.  His results have slowed down a little.  Still, Miami may be a big opportunity for the Bulgarian.
6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – (ADDED due to terrible oversight on my part) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has two titles in 2017 and played well in Australia too.  Change since last ranking – Not ranked *
7. Novak Djokovic – Novak won Qatar.  Since then his 2017 results have been rough.  Nick Kyrgios can overpower anyone.  Djokovic’s elbow induced Miami absence will hopefully give him time to heal and return to the form we’ve seen from him since 2007 and especially since 2011.  Change since last ranking – 5
8. Dominic Thiem – He has played well and pushed Wawrinka to the limit at Indian Wells.  The clay season could be a big opportunity for the young Austrian. Change since last ranking – Not ranked
9. Pablo Cuevas – His title in Brazil and solid showing at Indian Wells earn him the 8th spot.  Change since last ranking – Not ranked
    
10. Kei Nishikori – Nishikori skipped Memphis.  His losses at the Australian Open and Indian Wells represent missed opportunities.  Change since last ranking – 2
    

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11. Jack Sock – Sock played well to beat Nishikori and Dimitrov en route to the Indian Wells semifinal round.  Change since last ranking – Not ranked

Biggest Movers: Stan Wawrinka +4 and Novak Djokovic – 5

Entered the Poll: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Dominic Thiem, Pablo Cuevas, and Jack Sock

Dropped Out of the Poll: David Goffin should be in this top 10.  His results need a slight uptick. Mischa Zverev and Denis Istomin were not expected to stay too long.