Champions set to defend titles at Indian Wells

Indian Wells champions Noivak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki are set to defend their respective titles over the next week at what is the first Masters series event of the season which kicks off on Wednesday local time.

The event which offers a record $11 million with $1 million going to both the men’s and women’s winners, sees the ladies draw start on Wednesday while the men’s action gets under way the following day. None of the higher seeds will be called on as they have been opening round byes.

The Serbian star and current world number one, Novak Djokovic, captured Indian Wells as part of a stunning 2011 start of 41 consecutive wins in a row. This year though, having won the Australian Open his run has been blighted by a loss to Britain’s Andy Murray in last week’s Dubai Open semifinals

Djokovic, a five-time Grand Slam champion who could claim his fourth Slam title in a row by winning the French Open in June and claim a ‘career grand slam’, beat Spanish World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the 2011 Indian Wells final. He also won the title in 2008..

He will; be threatened again by Nadal, the 2007 and 2009 Indian Wells champion, as will three-time Indian Wells winner Roger Federer, the Swiss legend and world number three who has won 33 of his past 35 matches to collect five titles, and world number four, Andy Murray.