Roger Federer believes he is getting better with age

Roger Federer has said that he is "playing very well" as he prepares for his opening match at the BNP Paribas Open.

Federer had a miserable Australian Open in January, but he beat Novak Djokovic to claim the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 11 days ago.

He told reporters: "Today, I don't feel like I have that many bad days anymore. Maybe sometimes you come out and it's not working, that's something that happened very few times in the years where I was very dominant. Otherwise, I feel like I am playing very well."

Federer, who is a four-time champion in Indian Wells, will kick off his assault this year against either Jerzy Janowicz or Diego Schwartzman.