Can Nadal pull off rare Masters double?
Robyn Beck/Getty ImagesA more aggressive Andy Roddick has a legitimate chance to go far in the Miami draw. This week, the tennis circuit goes coast-to-coast from the peaceful Indian Wells desert to the pulsating tropics of Key Biscayne, Fla. Here are five things to watch going into the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami:
Nadal's faith (in himself)
As the current holder of three Grand Slams, four Masters Series, the Olympics and two other titles, he is now as dominant as Roger Federer was during his peak. But leave it to the always humble Rafael Nadal to doubt himself even as he steamrolled his way through the field at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The Spaniard admitted to having a crisis of confidence on two separate occasions in the California desert last week. Against David Nalbandian in the fourth round, he was hammered for the better part of two sets before finding his indomitable self. "I was scared about his backhand and it was a mistake," said Nadal, who saved five match points in the second set before winning the third 6-0.
Against Andy Roddick in the semifinals, Nadal was twice up a break in the second set but needed a tiebreaker to eventually close it out. "Scared maybe," he said. "In the second set, I started to play more defensive."
Nadal also fretted about his serve and backhand during the week, putting in extra practice after his quarterfinal win over Juan Martin del Potro.
Still, he came away with yet another big title and made another big statement. Imagine what could happen if he's actually happy with his play. If the body holds up, he's got an excellent shot at claiming the much-respected Indian Wells-Miami double.
Federer's first-serve percentageRoger Federer's losses against Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final and Andy Murray in the Indian Wells semifinal had two things in common: a collapse in the deciding set, and a collapse on serve.
Against Murray last week, the two came together: Federer managed to get in just 44 percent of his first serves during the third set and won only 43 percent of the points when he did so. He fared even worse on his second delivery, winning 33 percent of those points.
Against Nadal in Australia, Federer's first-serve percentage was 52 percent for the match, which he identified as his key failing in the match. In the fifth set, he won 62 percent of his first-serve points and 45 percent on his second serve.
It's a worrying trend for a player who used to have a reputation as a clutch server on big points. His average first-serve percentage this season is 61 percent.
Unofficially, Murray is the third- (or even second-) best player on the circuit right now. Officially, however, the rankings still show him at No. 4.
But if Novak Djokovic falls early in Miami and the Scot can reach the final Sunday, Murray will be in position to overtake the Serb. That won't be easy, since he'll likely have to get through David Nalbandian in the fourth round and Nadal in the semifinals.
Still, unless Djokovic suddenly springs back to life, Murray will get to No. 3 in the next couple of months. And with little to defend until the summer, it's not inconceivable that No. 2 could be within reach.
Roddick's draw
It's easy to recite the emerging laundry list of things Roddick is doing well under the tutelage of new coach Larry Stefanki: returning a little more aggressively, incorporating more variety, hitting the backhand with more purpose and serving rock solid with an average first-serve percentage of 71 percent.
But along with the hard work, there's also been a little luck. Despite being ranked in the 6-8 range, he's avoided running into Nadal, Federer and Murray -- three players he hasn't beaten since this time last year -- until the semis and finals of tournaments. Djokovic was his quarterfinal opponent in the two biggest events of the year so far -- the Australian Open and Indian Wells -- and Roddick defeated the slumping Serb both times.
In Miami, however, he's drawn Federer in the last eight -- a challenge, but also an opportunity. If Roddick can repeat last year's three-set upset of Federer, or if the Swiss somehow stumbles in his tame section of the draw, then the American has a real shot at reaching his first Masters final since winning at Cincinnati in 2006.
The third quarter of the draw is wide open, and Roddick would be the favorite against any one of the talented but struggling players he might meet in the semifinals: Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, James Blake, etc.
Verdasco's friends' box
Fernando Verdasco has shot to fame over the past five months, both for his heroic performances in Davis Cup and the Australian Open and his (real or rumored) conquests off the court. A former boyfriend of WTA player Gisela Dulko, the Spaniard began a high-profile relationship with Ana Ivanovic last fall that ended early this year.
At Indian Wells, he kept company with both rising teenage player Caroline Wozniacki and actress Camille Belle, both of whom also showed up to watch his matches. Expect the binoculars to be firmly trained on his friends' box at the celebrity-conscious center court in Miami. He could meet fellow serial player-dater Radek Stepanek in the fourth round, with Andy Murray to follow in the quarterfinals.
Kamakshi Tandon is a freelance tennis writer for ESPN.com.
