Djokovic's title wraps up entertaining Indian Wells fortnight

March 23, 2015 Ricky Match recaps 0

It was by no means a flawless final, but Sunday’s showdown between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer brought an appropriate end to what was a thrilling fortnight at the BNP Paribas Open.

Not unlike their 2014 Wimbledon title match, this one saw Federer mount a spirited charge before succumbing in the decisive set. The second-seeded Swiss recovered from a break down in the second and won it in a tiebreaker only to see Djokovic answer en route to a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 victory.
Djoker wins
Djokovic, who double-faulted three times in the second-set tiebreaker, prevailed in two hours and 17 minutes for his fourth Indian Wells title.

“I think he found an extra gear in the end,” Federer said. “It was tough. I enjoyed the match; it had a bit of everything.”

So, too, did the entire men’s singles event–excitement certainly being one of those things. It featured a grand total of eight final-set tiebreakers. Those included the return of Mardy Fish, who lost to Ryan Harrison 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3). Fellow American Jack Sock made an emotional run to the fourth round while also capturing the doubles title. Sock won all three of his singles matches in three sets, a tense 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7) battle with Gilles Muller among them. David Ferrer also went the distance, surviving a barn-burner against Ivan Dodig 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(6).

Rafael Nadal and Milos Raonic almost made it nine, but the Spaniard cracked near the finish line. Having already squandered three match points in the second set of their quarterfinal, Nadal dropped serve at 5-5 in the third. Raonic promptly closed it out for a 4-6, 7-6(10), 7-5 upset.
Rafa 4
Nadal will look to bounce back this upcoming fortnight in Miami, where yet another Masters 1000 tournament is taking place. Although Federer is resting, Miami will boast the comebacks of injured stars Juan Martin Del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Gael Monfils.

In other words, expect the electricity of Indian Wells to spark something similar in South Beach.

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11 Comments on Djokovic's title wraps up entertaining Indian Wells fortnight

  3. Indian Wells leaves us with a sense of ‘as you were’, with Djokovic and Federer once again squaring off in the final. It feels lately like the ‘Big 4’ is really just the Big 2; and even though Federer has won a few lesser matches against him, and in style, I t’s really clear-cut at the top: Djokovic, then Federer, then the rest. Congratulations to Djokovic on the win and thanks to both players for a final that had plenty to offer.

    Murray’s gone 0-11 against the three slam greats since his surgery in 2013, while Nadal hasn’t won against any Top 10 player at all since the French Open. An early exit at Miami this week will mean he has gone fully one year without qualifying for a semi-final at any level away from clay.

    I’d love to look to the new generation to mount a credible challenge, but none of them seems to be getting his act together. Maybe Nadal will have a good run in Miami? He’s played four finals there in the past. We’ll see.

    Reply

    • I wouldn’t write Rafa off just yet. We have to keep in mind that he was out for basically all of the second half of 2014. First there was the wrist injury that came out of nowhere and then there was appendicitis which was removed surgically. So he has been out of action for quite a while.

      Saying that Rafa hasn’t won against any top 10 player since the French Open, doesn’t mean much when the reason for it is that he was unable to play. Since he has come back this year, he has struggled but that’s to be expected. I think Rafa is on the right track to peak for the clay season.

      I do not think it’s fair to day that it’s Novak and Fed with the rest far behind. The fact that Rafa is still in the top four without having played for most of half a tennis year, says a lot about the points he accumulated when he was healthy enough to play.

      One should also keep in mind that Fed was bounced out of the AO in the second round by a guy who never beat him. That was the big prize. Rafa was playing his first slam with little preparation and not having played regularly for over six months, yet he made the quarterfinals. So I don’t think people should get carried away with Fed at the moment. He’s won Dubai which is a 500 event and then I believe a warmup tournament before the AO. That doesn’t exactly separate him from the rest of the pack. Novak has won the AO and now IW Masters.

      I am hoping that Rafa can have a good result at Miami, to give him some momentum and confidence for the clay season.

      Reply

  6. “The crowd, which had been waiting for an hour for any reason to erupt on Federer’s behalf, duly went berserk. The applause lingered in the air; by the time it had dissipated, the momentum had swung completely in Federer’s direction. Djokovic double faulted to go down break point, and the applause came back. When he put a forehand into the net on the next point, the crowd erupted again. At the start of the next game, Djokovic responded with a sarcastic thumb’s up to the audience. I have to say, I understood the sentiment. I’ve seen plenty of pro-Federer crowds, but this was the most anti-Federer’s-opponent audience I’ve ever heard.

    Yet 20 minutes later, Djokovic still had the match, literally, in hand. He stood to serve at 5-4 in the second-set tiebreaker; two points and the title was his. Instead, Djokovic, world No. 1, missed four straight serves to hand Federer a set point. When he lost that point as well, Djokovic sat down on the sideline and picked up something to drink. His hand was shaking so badly that he could barely get the bottle to his mouth.”

    http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2015/03/full-fight/54409/#.VRA8MfnF8TU

    Reply

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