The 2017 tennis season is just not staying on course for world No.1 Andy Murray as he suffered a shock defeat in the second round of the Indian Wells tournament, going down to the 129th-ranked qualifier Vasek Pospisil. After a disappointing performance at the Australian Open, Murray seemed to have got things back on track as he won the Dubai Championships for the first time, only to make an early exit again.
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After becoming world No.1, Murray was expected to continue his dominance in men's tennis, but the Brit has been quite inconsistent this year and will really have to improve his game, if he is to stay top of the rankings.
With Murray eliminated, it gives Novak Djokovic a really good chance to gain some valuable points as he looks to regain his world number one status. The Serbian defeated Kyle Edmund of Britain in straight sets to progress to the next round, where he will face Argentine Juan Martin del Potro.
This match could see another big name in Djokovic getting eliminated, with the Serb not in the best of form at the moment. Del Potro did defeat Djokovic at the Rio Olympics last year and could cause another upset when the two meet again.
Rafael Nadal takes on his compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the next round at Indian Wells, after the Spaniard defeated Guido Pella of Argentina 6-3, 6-2.
A lot of people thought Nadal would not be able to compete with the best this year due to his repeated injury concerns and his dip in form. But the Spaniard has shown signs of improvement in 2017 and, after losing in two finals in a row, first the Australian Open against Roger Federer and most recently in the Mexican Open against Sam Querrey, he will be determined to go one better and win this tournament.
The 2017 Australian Open winner, Federer defeated Stephane Robert 6-2, 6-1 in only 51 minutes and will face Steve Johnson in the next round. Since winning the Australian Open, Federer has only competed at the Dubai Championships so far, where he suffered a shock defeat in his second match.
