All's Indian Wells That Ends Indian Wells

World Tennis Day has come and gone, but which players can use a holiday boost in the desert? Below are a few players who could benefit from a good run at the Fifth Slam:

Novak Djokovic - While he's only played 8 matches this year, it's clear that Nole has been off to an uncharacteristic start. It's the first time since 2006 that he has come into Indian Wells title-less. He took the first set of both matches he lost (and was up a break in the fifth set against Wawrinka in Melbourne), leading to many questions regarding his mental state and lacking killer instinct. Djokovic has a nice draw to the final though, being the only one of the Big 4 in his half.

Andy Murray - It's been a slow comeback for Muzz and he's traditionally struggled in California, but the courts at Indian Wells suit his game and he SHOULD do well. If we get the quarterfinal matchup between him and Rafa, we'll really get a sense as to where Andy is at compared to his Big 4 brethren.

Milos can't pull off this look

Milos Raonic - The Canadian Missile has definitely been shunted to the side by his cohorts as of late, most notably Grigor Dimitrov, winner of Acapulco and all-around cutie pie. He's had to pull out of Davis Cup and withdraw from Zagreb due to a bum ankle, but winning a potential showdown against Jerzy Janowicz in the third round can ease a lot of the pain.

Petra Kvitova - Two years after being a few points of the No. 1 ranking, Petra suddenly has a lot to prove. This year's first round loss in Australia sounded several alarms, whether it was her continued struggles in warm playing conditions or her penchant to go completely off the rails with her groundstrokes. She needs a big result at a relevant tournament to quell the questioners. A semifinal or better run at Indian Wells (or Miami) would help Kvitova's cause.

Australian coffee is her kryptonite

Sam Stosur - Sam is in a bit of a career crossroads, but with some of the top players stumbling out of the gates this season, she has the opportunity to make something of a run in the desert. If she gets through her early rounds, Sam is a dangerous opponent for any of the WTA's upper crust. Indian Wells should be a good surface for her playstyle and hopefully she's confident in her abilities after her best result in Australia in awhile, reaching the third round of Melbourne. (That sounded rude, but it's the truth.)

Sloane Stephens - Obviously (Sloane's favorite word) she has been in a funk. Although she went 0 for the Middle East yet again, Sloane can silence a bunch of critics with a deep run, and she has a draw that could break her way if she takes care of business on the front end. A decent result here can give her ranking a bolster, too, as she isn't defending any points from 2013.

Anyone else in mind that could use Indian Wells as a springboard to 2014 success? Leave a comment and tell me who! Should be a fun tournament, as always. Please God, let men's doubles have decent TV coverage in the early rounds...

Draw-some: U.S. Open Women's Draw Preview

This is it. Last major of the year. Let's make it count.

Although it is Sugarpova-free, the ladies' draw is quite tasty with opportunities abound for many players. Time to dig in!

Quarter 1

Serena. That's all.

Okay fine, there are other players here. Angelique Kerber anchors the next eighth of the draw also inhabited by Venus Williams. One blockbuster to look out for is Serena's potential Aussie Open rematch with Sloane Stephens. Cannot wait for the hyperbole of that. Sloane has to get through Jamie Hampton in the third round first.

Prediction: Serena Williams def. Kaia Kanepi

Quarter 2

Aga's quarter has a couple of land mines, but most are on the other half where they will likely be stepped on way before she has to see any of them. Her side is not completely free of threats, with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ekaterina Makarova, and Sabine Lisicki occupying various places. Out of all of them, however, I only trust Makarova to live up to her seeding where I expect Aga to out-craft the Russian southpaw.

The other half of this quarter is lead by the volatile Li Na. Luckily, her section seems clear of high levels of danger. That's bad news for Jelena Jankovic, however, who has Madison Keys and the winner of Puig-Kleybanova in the first two rounds, with Sorana Cirstea as a projected third rounder. Oh my goodness.

Prediction: Agnieszka Radwanska def. Jelena Jankovic

Quarter 3

The top seed is Errani, but this quarter is all about Caroline Wozniacki. This is it. This is her comeback draw. She's been playing much better this summer and the draw gods have granted her the easiest path any woman can ask for. I haven't forgotten my pick for Woz to win the U.S. Open this year way back in January. I don't think it will happen, but this is her best chance yet to re-announce herself as a relevant player in the upper crust of the circuit.

Oh yeah, there are players other than Caro! Most of the notable ones (Simona Halep, Donna Vekic, Svetlana Kuznetsova) are on Errani's side. Really uninteresting quarter other than Woz's wide open path to the semis.

Prediction: Caroline Wozniacki def. Simona Halep

Quarter 4

All I want in life is a Petra Kvitova-Victoria Azarenka rematch. We've been teased and taunted for two years and it hasn't happened. They are once again drawn into the same quarter. Vika is solid. She will get there. It's all up to Petra, as it usually is. Will she be able to find the court for long enough to win four consecutive matches? WHO KNOWS.

Other happenings: Andrea Petkovic could meet Petra in the second round, Sam Stosur has a pretty nice path to the Round of 16, and Christina McHale could reignite the spark with against a struggling Julia Goerges in her opener.

Prediction: Victoria Azarenka def. Petra Kvitova

Semis

Serena Williams def. Agnieszka Radwanska

We've seen this movie before. Serena should dominate if her serve is clicking and isn't ailed by a stomach bug.

Vicotoria Azarenka def. Caroline Wozniacki

I really expect this to be a tough one, but Vika is just too solid off both wings and can push just as much as Caro without giving away too much.

Final

Vicotoria Azarenka def. Serena Williams

I really think that this is the time Vika breaks through Serena at a Grand Slam. She's hungry and she has the game to challenge Serena as she has proven here last year, in Doha in February, and in Cincinnati just a few days ago. I expect another thriller.

Happy Holidays!

Good ol' Saint Novak.

A very merry World Tennis Day to all!

Although I just found out such a day existed last week and only remembered it after roaming around the web this afternoon, 'twas a joyous and exciting 24 hours to be a fan of this beautiful sport.

Kudos to all the players getting involved in those lighthearted matches to spread tennis joy around the world.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the goofing off ends here. March is upon us, which means it is U.S. hard court season! Two combined events, loaded draws, and several thousand points and dollars to be awarded. Who's gonna reap the bulk of those benefits? Let's find out by taking a quick look back at an unusually busy February.

Doha: Serena is back at #1, but Vika had the last laugh in their final round match. Serena holds a big lead in their H-to-H record, but Vika has always played her tough and seems to be making more inroads each successive faceoff. Don't be surprised if Azarenka gets back to the top spot by year's end (Serena has a TON of points to defend this summer).

Dubai: Kvitova got back on track with this Premier title. The draw was trimmed down after the Doha finalists withdrew, but hats off to getting the job done. Now that she's pulled off playing well for two matches in a row, is it no longer wishful thinking that she could do it for consecutive tournaments? We'll see, but we do know she has all the weaponry to dominate.

ATP 500s: Federer is stunned at Rotterdam and Dubai. He can't seem to hold MPs anymore. The door is open for Murray, who was absent for the entire month, to leapfrog him in the rankings. Djokovic wins Dubai, undefeated in 2013. Nole's on a serious roll, 18 straight matches to be exact. Is a repeat of 2011 in store? He seems unstoppable at the moment, especially on hard courts. Nadal blows away David Ferrer in Acapulco. The scoreline may be ho-hum, but Rafa has only just started playing tournaments and is only going to get more comfortable out on court. The only question is will he play Indian Wells and/or Miami? WE STILL DON'T KNOW. It's not like IW begins in two days or anything...

I don't know about you, but I am so excited for Indian Wells and Miami because: a) combined events are easy to follow both men and women, and b) they are both in my country's time zone. Those of you who feverishly followed the Australian Open like I did feel me...

Leave a comment to discuss the happenings of February or to look forward to March. Should be another exciting month!

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Serena Williams. Sloane Stephens. You just knew these two racquet-swinging divas would bring the drama a la these two superstars.

And as much as all of the American tennis contingent continue to hail her as the heir apparent to Serena's throne, I don't think anyone thought Sloane would put up as much of a fight in her first bout against her mentor like she did today. But Serena is still Serena, she upped her game when it mattered most and it was the difference in this match.

Sloane would not exit Brisbane without a quote, however! Here's clip of what she had to say in a changeover after Serena shouted her signature "COME ON":

You can tell Sloane is being very sarcastic (she and Serena are actually good friends), but it's still very encouraging to see her make light of her opponent across the net who's only won 15 Grand Slams and is 51-2 since last March. I am extremely impressed with her attitude, not to mention her serve and forehand, and I think American women's tennis has shining star on the rise.

And she's so darn cute! How can you resist those pearly whites and those dimples? But points deducted for using catch phrases from First Take.

Other Brisbane news: lookout! Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is back from the dead! With two consecutive Top 10 victories over Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber, AP is looking to improve on her weak 2012 season which she reached just one final. She faces Ukrainian Lucky Loser Lesia Tsurenko in the semis.

Respect the Queen of Soul, unless she's wearing this hat.

What say you? Is Sloane the real deal? Overrated? Discuss!

In closing, hats adorned with ginormous bows are never a good idea.