The first of nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments of the season, the BNP Paribas Open, gets underway at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Thursday.

After his first-round bye, three-time former champion Rafael Nadal is slated to meet either Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller or Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic in the second round and could run into his Australian Open conqueror, countryman Fernando Verdasco, in the third round.

Rafa is seeded to face Gilles Simon and Kei Nishikori before the semi-finals, where Novak Djokovic could await.

Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Stan Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet all feature in the opposite side of the draw.

Projected quarterfinals:

• Novak Djokovic vs Tsonga
• Rafael Nadal vs Kei Nishikori
• Stan Wawrinka vs Richard Gasquet
• Andy Murray vs Tomas Berdych

Rafa’s potential route to the final:

• 1st round: Bye
• 2nd round: Gilles Muller or Victor Estrella Burgos
• 3rd round: Fernando Verdasco
• 4th round: Gilles Simon
• Quarter-final: Kei Nishikori
• Semi-final: Novak Djokovic
• Final: Andy Murray or Stan Wawrinka

View Singles Draw

Good luck, Rafa! Vamos!

Source: ATP World Tour