Andy Murray feels the heat in Indian Wells

Roger Federer struts on to the court where Andy Murray's practice has not exactly been perfect. Federer is radiating health and wellbeing, blue initialled cap pulled low, not a stitch out of place, the collar of his training top clipping the ear lobes just so, socks at precisely the same height, calves shimmering. Murray is caked in sweat. They exchange the odd word, the Scot sits on the bench and watches Federer ease sweetly into his rhythm for a few minutes before taking his leave.
It is a common enough scene in the paradise venues of professional tennis, but you stop and wonder about the two men, their places in the sport and how the next 12 months will shape their careers. Federer is going to become a father; heck, they quizzed Murray on whether he thought impending parenthood for the Swiss might have an impression on the title race. “For me, family is the most important thing,” he answered. “Tim Henman had babies and it didn't affect his career too much.”
Murray has beaten Federer in five of their past six meetings, the bragging rights are his and may be enhanced here if both reach the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open. The Scot has not played since February 25. He then retired at the Barclays Dubai Championships and staggered into the office of Gerry Armstrong, the British ATP supervisor, who thought he had seen a ghost. The last sighting of Federer was the Australian Open final, marked for his tearful outpourings after a defeat by Rafael Nadal, the world No 1.
This is the first time since Melbourne that the elite are all in one place, Novak Djokovic completing the leading foursome after a spectacularly frenzied taxi ride from Gatwick to Heathrow, concluding the Serb's complex journey from a Davis Cup tie in Benidorm to the Coachella Valley in southern California. Djokovic is defending champion here, one of two Masters Series titles he won in 2008, a year that culminated in him taking the Masters Cup in Shanghai.
Murray's first opponent in the singles today is Albert Montañés, a Spaniard whom he defeated en route to the ExxonMobil Qatar Open title in Doha in January. The British No 1 looked lean and lithe yesterday, although he had a tendency to swallow hard before every sentence, giving the impression that something nasty was lodged in the back of his throat. “I don't exactly know how I caught this virus or exactly what it was because my symptoms changed a lot,” he said. “I went from having a sore throat, to night sweats, an upset stomach, nosebleeds and was throwing up. I feel OK now, but matches are a lot more stressful than practice. My blood tests show that I am better. I'm up for it.
“But there's no point in me coming here and saying I'm feeling perfect and I've had the best preparation possible. I didn't feel my best going into Rotterdam [for the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament] last month, but I found a way to win the tournament. As you get older, you start to understand you're not going to feel perfect every week.”
So we are not sure what we should expect from the world No 4. Barring Nadal, whose victory sweep against Serbia in the Davis Cup last weekend was frighteningly conclusive but who has woken up at 4 the past two mornings and been hitting golf balls at 6.30am, there is not much of a form guide for the favourites.
The air is clear, the sun is high and the temperatures are set to soar next week, which adds to the desirability of the location but will test athletes - and certainly those at less than 100 per cent - to the extreme. In Murray's case, just to be here beats lying in bed, watching what was left of Great Britain's Davis Cup team disappearing down the plughole last weekend.
Source:the times