Roger Federer
Nadal will have a chance to avenge his 2017 Australian Open final defeat when he faces Federer on Wednesday (15 March)

KEY POINTS

  • Nadal and Federer are facing each other for the 36th time in their career.
  • It is their second meeting of 2017 after the Australian Open final.

Rafael Nadal will face Roger Federer for the second time this season in the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Masters at Indian Wells on Wednesday (15 March).

Where to watch live

Match starts at 12.00am (Thursday) GMT. Live TV coverage will available on Sky Sports 1 and 1 HD. Tennis TV will also provide live coverage of the match. Live scores and regular updates will be available on the ATP's official website.

Overview

Nadal will have a chance to avenge his 2017 Australian Open final defeat when he takes on Federer. It is the earliest the two are facing each other in a tournament since their third round meeting which was their first ever at the Miami Masters in 2004.

It was a horror draw that saw the two former world number ones paired in the same quarter of the draw as world number two Novak Djokovic. Apart from the trio, Nick Kyrgios, Juan Martin del Potro and Fernando Verdasco were also drawn in the bottom quarter.

The draw was the result of Nadal and Federer's low rankings coming into the tournament. The duo will be facing each other for the 36<sup>th time in their careers, with the Spaniard holding the head-to-head advantage.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion holds a commanding record in Masters Series against his Swiss rival having won 12 of their 16 matches thus far. To add to the excitement, the winner of the match between Nadal and Federer will take on either Djokovic or Kyrgios in the quarter-finals.

Betting odds (betfair)

  • Nadal to win: 4/6
  • Federer to win: 5/4

Head-to-head

The pair have met 35 times in the past with Nadal holding a 23-12 advantage over Federer. Their most recent meeting was in the finals of the 2017 Australian Open where the Swiss ace triumphed in five sets.

BNP Paribas Masters history

The two former world number one ranked players have faced each other on two occasions in 2012 and 2013 at Indian Wells with each winning once.

Rafael Nadal Roger Federer