Andy Murray returns to action at Indian Wells, and Barry Cowan has answered five key questions about the ATP World Tour Masters event. The British No 1 could pave the way for another showdown with Novak Djokovic, but first he must negotiate a competitive field which includes Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori.Sky Sports expert Cowan discusses the big talking points at Indian Wells... Is Murray well prepared? Murray guided Britain to a Davis Cup win over Japan I think Andy Murrays leading role in Britains Davis Cup win over Japan is perfect preparation for Indian Wells. I must confess going into it, I thought the match with Kei Nishikori was 50-50, because Nishikori had won a title, while Andy had been away from playing competitively because of the birth of his first child.But for Andy to dig deep and be physically and mentally strong in that fifth set was extraordinary. That kind of match was the best thing for him, going into Indian Wells, because he needed a tough test ahead of a crucial period of the season. Murray did well on the clay last year, but hes a better hard court player and these next couple of tournaments are important. A kind draw for Murray? The world No 2 will face Marcel Granollers in his opening match Obviously now there is less importance on the draw than there was over a year ago, when he was ranked a little lower. It was always is he going to be in Djokovics half or isnt he? Hes always in the opposite half to Djokovic now and its favourable early on.Juan Martin Del Potro plays Tomas Berdych in the pick of the second round matches. Thats going to be a real test for both and will tell you where Del Potro is at and how Berdych is playing. There are a few questions marks about Tomas at the moment. I think these two tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami are great, because you can learn so much about a players form. Youve had the first major, generally some of them had a bit of a break, and these two events can set the tone for the next few weeks. Davis Cup concerns about Djokovic? Novak Djokovic was made to work for a win over Mikhail Kukushkin in Serbias Davis Cup victory Novak was taken to five sets in last weeks Davis Cup win over Mikhail Kukushkin, but it was simply another match that Djokovic won. It was the same thing when he came through a five-set match against Gilles Simon at the Australian Open. There was a feeling that Djokovic was vulnerable, but he is only vulnerable if he loses those matches. History says that if Djokovic comes through a match like that, then it makes him even stronger.Just like Andy, Novak will benefit from a challenging match ahead of the tournament. What is a realistic aim for Rafa? Rafael Nadals confidence was dented by two semi-final defeats on clay I thought last year that Rafa could get back to his very best, but what I witnessed in South America, where he suffered two semi-finals defeats on clay, was alarming. I think there is a player who is playing with fear, that is almost putting too much pressure on himself on his best surface. Hopefully we will see him play the sort of tennis that he played at the end of the last year, which was very, very good. Barry Cowan on Rafael Nadal If you look last year, I think he played better on quicker surfaces where it forces him to be aggressive. He knows there is no compromise. He has to stand on the baseline to return serve and Indian Wells makes you do that. Hopefully we will see him play the sort of tennis that he played at the end of the last year, which was very, very good. Who else can challenge for the title? Stan Wawrinka won a recent hard court tournament in Dubai Stan Wawrinka has always performed poorly at this time of the year, but Ive got a feeling that he will do well. Nishikori is another player who has really struggled here, because there are totally different conditions, and the ball gets up high and is more difficult to control for the smaller players like Kei.But these conditions will certainly favour the big-serving players such as Milos Raonic, John Isner and Nick Kyrgios. Those types of players will become very dangerous. Watch Andy Murrays match against Marcel Granollers as part of tonights live coverage from Indian Wells, which starts at 7.15pm on Sky Sports 3. Also See: Murrays road to Masters glory WATCH: Dodig gives himself black eye [url=http://www.cheapraptorsjerseys.
