Roger Federer has been brilliant this year so far. After bagging the Australian Open, edging out Rafael Nadal in the final, Federer is aiming for his second title in 2017 as he prepares to face fellow countryman Stan Wawrinka in the Indian Wells Masters (BNP Paribas Open) final on Sunday.
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The final is expected to be a cracker of a contest. Federer has defeated the likes of Nadal en route to the final, but the former world number one is aware that his greatest test lies in the final. Wawrinka has been strongly tested and taken to three sets by Dominic Thiem and Yoshihito Nishioka, but his best game was against Pablo Carreno Busta, demolishing him in straight sets.
The Indian Wells Masters final has all the ingredients for a classic encounter, and it is not easy to pick a favourite. Even if one feels Federer might have a slight edge, one needs to understand that Wawrinka knows his countryman's game better than anyone else as they have practised together for David Cup and Olympics.
Federer is not looking too much into their head-to-head records, where he enjoys a 19-3 lead, and has also defeated Warinka in their last three encounters. Federer is aware of Wawrinka's improved performances on the hard courts.
"A lot of those matches came early when I was the overwhelming favorite when I was No. 1, and he was No. 30 in the world and his game was based heavily on the clay courts," Indian Wells Masters official website quoted Federer as saying.
"I sneaked in a lot of victories there in the beginning. In recent times, I thought we played a lot of close matches, and he was also able to dominate me over a set or two. So I don't see it per se as a huge advantage. I think he's cleaned up his game really nice on the faster courts."
However, Wawrinka seems to be confident ahead of the clash, as the third seed feels that he is up for the game.
"When I start to win matches, I start to get the confidence, the good feeling with the ball, with the way I'm playing. I play better and better. Normally, by the semifinal, final, I always play good matches. That doesn't mean I always win, but I know that I'm going to play some good tennis," Wawrinka said.
Where to watch live
The Indian Wells Masters final between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka is scheduled for 1.30 am IST, 8 pm GMT, and 4 pm ET. Here are the live streaming and TV options.
India: TV: Sony ESPN HD. Live Streaming:Sony Liv
US: TV: ESPN: Live Streaming: Watch ESPN
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1: Live Streaming:Sky Go
South Africa: Tv: Supersport
Canada: TV: TSN
Also, one can live stream the match on the ATP official website.
