Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka team up for doubles at Indian Wells
Roger Federer will join forces with Stanislas Wawrinka in the doubles draw at Indian Wells. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- The BNP Paribas Open has a recent tradition of getting top ATP singles players to play doubles, and this year is no different.
Swiss Davis Cup teammates Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka have paired up and will face No. 6 seeds Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in the first round. Federer and Wawrinka have played 11 events together as a team, with their surprise run to the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics serving as their highlight (who can forget their weird post-match celebration?). They also made the 2011 final in Indian Wells.
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In addition to Federer and Wawrinka, the doubles draw features a number of interesting pairings. Despite his bad wrist, Juan Martin del Potro has entered with Marin Cilic. Novak Djokovic has paired with fellow Serb Filip Krajinovic. Andy Murray has teamed not with his brother, Jamie, but with 2012 Wimbledon champion Jonny Marray. Milos Raonic will play alongside Ernests Gulbis. The most notable name missing is Rafael Nadal, who has won the doubles here with Marc Lopez twice, in 2010 and 2012.
While the singles players may grab the headlines thanks to their star power and the novelty of their appearance, it's the doubles stalwarts who anchor the draw. Defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan are once again the No. 1 seeds, followed by Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares. The Bryans are coming off their first title of the season, in Delray Beach, Fla.
