• Second round action in the top half of the draw at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday features World No. 1 Andy Murray, No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka, No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 8 Dominic Thiem and No. 10 Gael Monfils. There are 11 other seeds on the order of play.

• In the first men’s match on Stadium 1, Tsonga brings a 4-0 FedEx ATP head-to-head record against Fabio Fognini. Tsonga has two wins on clay and hard courts against the Italian No. 2. Tsonga is one of three players (Dimitrov, Sock) with two ATP World Tour titles this season. He also leads the ATP World Tour with 17 match wins (17-3). Fognini is trying to earn his first Top 10 win since beating No. 7 Nadal at the 2015 US Open. 

• In the next men’s match on Stadium 1, Wawrinka takes a 2-0 head-to-head record against Italian No. 1 Paolo Lorenzi. Wawrinka won both meetings in 2013 in straight sets on clay and grass. Wawrinka is a two-time quarter-finalist (2008, 2011) in Indian Wells. The 35-year-old Lorenzi is looking to post his first career Top 10 win (0-17).

• In the evening session, Murray tries to remain unbeaten (4-0) against Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil. Murray, who reached the final in 2009 (l. to Nadal), is one of two former finalists in the top half of the draw along with No. 20 seed John Isner. Murray has captured 10 titles in 14 finals from the 16 tournaments that he has played since last May. Murray comes into Indian Wells with a 12-2 match record on the season after winning his 45^th career title in Dubai (d. Verdasco). Pospisil is 3-20 lifetime against Top 10 opponents and he has lost 11 in a row since beating No. 5 Berdych in Washington in 2014.

• On Stadium 2, Thiem opens the day’s action against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in a first-time meeting. In the next match on, Isner takes a 2-0 head-to-head record against lucky loser Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan. In the next singles match, American wild card Bjorn Fratangelo plays No. 13 seed Tomas Berdych, who won the previous meeting in straight sets at the 2015 US Open. In the final match, No. 2 seeds Bob and Mike Bryan square off with the wild card team of Nick Kyrgios and Nenad Zimonjic.

• On Stadium 3, big-serving Ivo Karlovic, the No. 19 seed, plays Japanese lucky loser Yoshihito Nishioka, Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine takes on No. 28 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who is seeking his 400^th career match win on the ATP World Tour. In the final match on, Monfils meets qualifier Darian King of Barbados.

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Watch your favourite players work on their games by taking in a live stream at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Rafael Nadal has traveled the world competing on the ATP World Tour, but the Spaniard says that one place has a special place in his heart.

Speaking to the Indian Wells faithful on a brisk Friday night at the BNP Paribas Open, following a first-round doubles victory with Bernard Tomic, Nadal conveyed his admiration for the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the year. Nestled in the sun-drenched Coachella Valley, it’s tennis in paradise.

“It’s no doubt that these are my two favorite weeks of the year,” said Nadal.

Nadal returns to his happy hunting ground in the California desert, having lifted the trophy on five occasions – three times in singles and twice in doubles. The 29 year old topped Novak Djokovic to prevail in 2007, followed by victories over Murray in 2009 and a resurgent Del Potro in 2013. Four years later, he is hoping to get off on the right foot against Guido Pella on Sunday.

“I am playing Pella in the first round and that’s all I can say now,” Nadal told the assembled media on Friday during his pre-tournament press conference. “If all things go well, we will have time to talk about the draw. I was a little bit sick for two days, so I couldn’t practise. I started to practise yesterday for the first time. Today, I practised again and I have doubles.

“It is obvious that when you get sick you lose a little bit of the power for a couple of days. So I hope to recover myself well and feel ready to compete at the highest level possible.”

Nadal opened his doubles quest on Friday, teaming with Tomic to defeat Pablo Carreno Busta and Joao Sousa 6-4, 7-6(7). A two-time champion with countryman Marc Lopez in 2010 and 2012, he is joining forces with the Australian for the first time.

“I play doubles for fun and to practise too,” Nadal added. “I was supposed to play with Bernard in Brisbane. That made sense, because it’s his house and for me it was something that I liked. But then I said to him that I could not play there. I said if we can change Brisbane for Indian Wells, will be great for me. That’s it.”

Nadal finds himself in the legendary bottom quarter of the draw, with an Australian Open final rematch against Roger Federer looming in the fourth round and a potential quarter-final clash against another longtime rival, Novak Djokovic. And that’s just to reach the semi-finals.

Coming off a run to the final at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, the fifth seed is taking it one match at a time. First up: a first encounter against Pella.

Doubles was the hot ticket on Friday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, with Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all taking the court ahead of their singles campaigns.

Teaming up with Bernard Tomic, Nadal survived a tense second-set tie-break to secure a 6-4, 7-6(7) victory over Pablo Carreno Busta and Joao Sousa in the night session on Stadium 1. Nadal and Tomic, playing together for the first time, let slip three match points at 6/3 in the tie-break, but regrouped to convert their fourth opportunity after one hour and 33 minutes.

Nadal is a former doubles champion at the BNP Paribas Open, lifting the trophy in 2010 and 2012 with Marc Lopez, who was courtside to watch his friend on Friday evening.

Murray teamed up with fellow Brit Daniel Evans for a 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 victory over Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez. The Scot is looking for his first ATP World Tour doubles crown in almost six years, since winning the Tokyo crown with his older brother, Jamie Murray, in 2011.

Djokovic and Serbian countryman Viktor Troicki celebrated with a Bryans-esque chest-bump as they battled to a 2-6, 6-3, 10-7 victory over Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas. They could next face defending champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, should the French pair overcome John Isner and Jack Sock on Saturday.

A packed crowd watch Grigor Dimitrov and Stan Wawrinka join forces, but the Bulgarian-Swiss duo fell in the first round to Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi, 6-4, 3-6, 10-3.

German brothers Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber and Dominic Thiem 7-6(4), 6-4 for a place in the second round. The Zverevs won their first team title last month in Montpellier (d. Martin/Nestor) in the same week that Alexander won the singles crown.

In other first-round action, Roberto Bautista Agut and Fernando Verdasco defeated Tomas Berdych and Philipp Petzschner 7-6(5), 4-6, 10-3, while Steve Johnson and Vasek Pospisil overcame Marcin Matkowski and Alexander Peya 3-6, 6-4, 11-9.

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Professional tennis players are creatures of habit. Often reluctant to accept change in their daily routine and training regimen, even the most minor of tweaks is often a significant step. But for Steve Johnson, the most impactful change was the easiest to make.

During the offseason, the American committed himself to a stricter diet, ditching his favourite fatty foods for healthier options. With the competition on the ATP World Tour stronger than ever, Johnson is hoping the extra edge will aide in his ascent up the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“It’s taken a few months of planning,” Johnson told ATP World Tour Uncovered. “It’s something that I’ve really wanted to implement over the years, but I just wasn’t able to find exactly what works best for me.

“It’s about being very disciplined with what you eat and how much. For my body type, there are certain things I have to cut out completely and certain things I have to cut out at different times of the day. Some guys are a little more fortunate with their body styles and metabolism. They can eat whatever they want and stay thin, but that’s just not in the cards for me. I’m not crazy over the top, but I’m very conscious about it.”

Johnson impressively dropped close to 20 pounds during just two offseason months, limiting his daily calorie intake when he’s not engaged in intense training. He also added sports physiotherapist Christian LoCascio, who has helped transform the California native’s body. LoCascio previously worked with former World No. 7 Mardy Fish and was integral in his own physical transformation. Fish shed more than 30 pounds in 2010, before seeing his career skyrocket to new heights. Able to sustain longer rallies and quicker around the court, Johnson is hoping to replicate his countryman’s success.

“I just want to give myself another tool to draw back on in tough moments to win those tough matches,” Johnson added. “I love to go to dinner and munch on those dinner rolls that sit out. I loved to eat them out of boredom. For me, not having as many carbs in the late afternoon and at night, unless I’m playing a match, is something that I needed to cut out. It’s been hard, just because they’re sitting right in front of you and it’s tough not to eat it. But it’s been great so far, knowing that I’m doing everything in my power to be a better tennis player.”

Healthier diets have become a focal point on the ATP World Tour in recent years, with Novak Djokovic’s famous shift towards a gluten-free lifestyle earning the most attention.

“You see these guys raise the bar to another level and you know you have to try as hard as possible to get to their level as well. As an athlete, I want to get to be the best I can in this sport. I want to leave no stone unturned. It was tough in the beginning, but now it’s normal. It’s been quite a process and it’s helped my movement on court and my energy. I’m not huffing and puffing as much. With better stamina and movement, I’m getting to balls that I wasn’t getting to before. It’s been a great transition.”

Johnson has been a Top 30 stalwart for the past year and is looking to make the jump to the next level. The 27 year old is up to No. 27 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after reaching the semi-finals at the ASB Classic in Auckland to open the year and advancing to three straight quarter-finals in February – Memphis, Delray Beach and Acapulco. He says he is feeling strong and ready to continue challenging for big titles on the ATP World Tour.

“The days where you don’t play so well and you have to find a way to win are the most satisfying. I know what it’s like to be around the Top 40. Now I want to finish the year in the Top 30 or even the Top 20 and keep getting better and better. Hopefully I have many more good years in this sport. I know at some point my time will come where I will put it all together and I can push my limits even further.”

Seeded 24th this week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Johnson opens against Kevin Anderson on Sunday.

In an all-American first-round clash at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday, Donald Young overcame #NextGenATP player Stefan Kozlov 7-5, 7-6(5) in just under two hours.

Young, who goes on to face another American in No. 23 seed Sam Querrey, enjoyed strong showings on home soil last month, reaching back-to-back semifinals in Memphis (l. to Harrison) and Delray Beach (l. to Sock). He has an 8-4 mark on the season and is now bidding to reach the third round at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the fourth time.

Ninth seed Roger Federer will open his bid for a fifth Indian Wells crown against Stephane Robert after the Frenchman defeated Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-4.

Great Britain’s Daniel Evans set a second-round clash with fourth seed Kei Nishikori after surging through his opener with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Dustin Brown in 53 minutes. The right-hander will face Nishikori for the third time, having beaten the Japanese player in their first meeting at the US Open four years ago.

The 26-year-old Evans is enjoying a career-best start to the season, reaching his first ATP World Tour final in Sydney (l. to Muller) and going on to make the fourth round of the Australian Open (l. to Tsonga). He is currently a career-high No. 41 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

There was disappointment for #NextGenATP player Borna Coric, who was beaten 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 by Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen. World No. 123 Laaksonen, who is playing at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the first time, goes on to face No. 17 seed Jack Sock.

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Kyle Edmund got his BNP Paribas Open campaign off to a flying start on Friday, scoring a convincing 6-1, 6-3 win over Gastao Elias at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Edmund didn’t drop serve and broke Elias twice in each set to secure the win in 66 minutes. He will now face three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the second round.

“The things [Djokovic] does well are making a lot of balls and being quick around the court. It’s tough to get the ball by him and break him down,” said Edmund. “These are things that I’ve experienced the last two times I’ve played him. I’ll try and use that on Sunday.”

American #NextGenATP player Taylor Fritz recorded his first win in Indian Wells by defeating Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-2. The 19-year-old Fritz is aiming for a good showing in Indian Wells as he bids to return to the Top 100 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, having been as high as No. 53 this past August. The right-hander made great strides at the beginning of last year, reaching his first ATP World Tour final in Memphis (l. to Nishikori) and the quarterfinals in Acapulco (l. to Querrey).

“I always think I play well here. This is where I’m from. I’ve played in Indian Wells since I was eight years old, come down here for tournaments. Just being from San Diego my whole life and having a lot of family that lives out here in the desert, it’s like a second home to me,” said Fritz. “I have been telling everyone that I think I have been playing my best tennis ever this week. It’s been going really well in practice, and I just hope that I can bring that onto the court in my next match.”

Fritz goes on to face sixth seed Marin Cilic in the second round.

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Kevin Anderson claimed his first win in more than four months as he defeated qualifier Federico Gaio 6-1, 6-4. The South African made his comeback from injury last month in Memphis (l. to Dzumhur) and Delray Beach (l. to del Potro) after being sidelined at the start of the season due to a hip problem. Next up for Anderson is No. 24 seed Steve Johnson.

In other matches, Mikhail Youzhny set a second-round clash with reigning Australian Open semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov after beating fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-4. Other players to advance on Friday include Malek Jaziri, Jan-Lennard Struff and Federico Delbonis.