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The hypothetical perfect player - Roddick serve, Federer agility...

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Barry Millns goes out to try and create the perfect player. Does the Gonzalez forehand make the cut, does he take Murray or Ferrer to return serve and who features when it comes to stamina?

Imagine you could play God and create the perfect player from those who have been taking part this week at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells. Whose shots and talents would you choose? Here is my recipe for success:

Serve As the early exits of Andy Roddick and Ivo Karlovic have shown it takes more than a great serve to win matches at the highest level. But standing 6 foot 10 inches tall, Karlovic undoubtedly delivers a serve like no other.

Struck from such a great height it bounces up off the court more steeply than anyone else's, so making it even more difficult to return and it comes as no surprise that last season he topped the tables when it came to Aces, Service Games Won and Break Points Saved.

But that was primarily down to the giant Croat's first serve and while he topped the category of 1st Serve Points Won, he did not feature in the top 10 of the 2nd Serve Points Won. Roger Federer, [2.06] to regain the title in Indian Wells, did that but not being the fastest server out there, such a figure says more about his overall use of the serve (placement and variety) combined with his ground game in the rallies which follow.

Not surprisingly Roddick - the world's fastest server - came second in both categories and ideally if you could combine his pace with Federer's placement and work on the ball, striking it from up in the clouds like Karlovic your perfect player would be virtually un-returnable!

Return When you think of the game's great returners Andre Agassi was right up there. The American's hand-eye coordination was phenomenal and because he also used to step in and take the ball on the rise he frequently sent the ball back with interest.

David Ferrer, who has a similar style, stood out last year in all the major return categories, tying for second place with Nikolay Davydenko, just behind Rafael Nadal in Points Won Returning 1st Serve and topping the charts in Points Won Returning 2nd Serve, Break Points Converted and Return Games Won. Andy Murray, [19.5] after his latest win against Karlovic, also featured in the top 5 in three of the four categories and a mix of the two should do just fine.

Forehand While we all marvel at the thunderbolt forehands of men like Fernando Gonzalez, Igor Andreev and Dmitry Tursunov, when they hit the target, Federer's whiplash forehand, often struck from well inside the baseline and at acute angles does more consistent damage. Rafael Nadal [11.5], Novak Djokovic [4.5] and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [27] also possess lethal weapons in that department, albeit with different styles, but hey I'm getting greedy!

Backhand With honourable mention going to Tommy Haas [95], who used his single-hander to such good effect in beating Roddick, the best for my money has to be that of Richard Gasquet [34], who can cut right through anyone's defences in a flash. For those with the two-handed variety Murray has one of the best cross-court or up the line, as does Mikhail Youzhny, while David Nalbandian's [24] can also be outstanding.

Volleys It is hard to think of anyone these days who volleys as well as the great Stefan Edberg used to or even Tim Henman at his best. But as the game continues to evolve and becomes more of an all-court affair again, it is an increasingly vital skill for those wanting to stay at the top - even Nikolay Davydenko has shown recent signs of improvement at the net, although I'm not choosing him just yet!

As for Movement, Balance and Stamina two spoonfuls of Federer and one of Nadal should go into the mix, while the measures can be reversed when adding Focus, Mental Strength and Competitiveness.

Voila! A tasty dish, but what do you think?