Date: 3/20/2011
Result: Indian Wells F, Novak Djokovic def. Rafael Nadal 4-6 6-3 6-2
Why it matters:
- Novak kept up his roll. Still undefeated this year. Won the biggest events so far. Took down #1 in the world. This was his first victory in a final over Rafa. And moreover, it looked like he was mentally down through the first set and had to come from behind against a tough competitor like Nadal. As impressive as his three wins over Federer this year have been, this was another step up - he was never behind like this against Federer. Bravo, Novak.
- Nadal's serve is REALLY a problem. The commentators wouldn't stop talking about this, so apologies for being repetitive for those who watched the US broadcast, but he will need to resolve his issues. It is almost like a Michael Chang/Lleyton Hewitt issue where he's losing control by trying to add extra power. I think since this event seemed to be the first time he's really struggled, we'll hold off on calling his new serve experiment a one-and-done success (that one being his US Open victory). However, we'll see if Uncle Toni can resolve this issues in time for Miami - and more importantly - in preparation for the clay season.
- One final note looking forward. Djokovic has certainly made a statement since winning the Davis Cup with his countrymen, and he deserves all the accolades he's been given. But it's mid-March. We still have Miami upcoming, and then we go full steam into the clay court season. A season where Novak has shown he can play with the best (given his results in 2009, most notably against Nadal in Madrid) - but also where he struggled with allergies all of last year. Last year seemed somewhat of an anomaly, but can we really be sure? When a player has an uncontrollable malady - it's not a fitness issue, it's an allergy issue - it's too risky to say "he's going to run away with number 1" until we get a better sense of what the European conditions will be like. Because we know that Nadal will most likely dominate the clay once again, so if Novak doesn't do everything possible to keep pace, they could be in a massive battle for year-end number one at the end of the year.
Honorable Mention:
- Indian Wells F, Caroline Wozniacki def. Marion Bartoli - 61 26 63 - Caro keeps winning the non-majors. This is the 5th straight Premier Mandatory/Premier 5 event (combined, these two levels would be comparable to the ATP's Masters Series), having won in Canada, Tokyo, Beijing (all in 2010), Dubai and Indian Wells. It would be hard to fathom an ATP player winning 5 Masters in a row. Her level of play varied, and her frustration and expectations got the better of her for a period in the middle of the match, but in the end, her mental toughness nabbed her another title. There's no reason she won't keep this level up, but she should set her sights on being fresh and peaking at Roland Garros, if she wants to end a lot of the annoying questions about whether she deserves to be #1.
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