I love Palm Springs and the High Desert area of California. As someone said to me on a recent visit, “This is where one goes to relax and contemplate on what the hell is going on with your life.” Because of this, I’m certain many ATP and WTA pros staying in Indian Wells next week will be doing exactly that.
Tennis Magazine recently listed Indian Wells as one of the top 10 events you haven’t been to and with good reason. Even if you live in L.A. like I do, it’s a two hour drive (without traffic) down the fierce I-10 freeway. Once in Indian Wells, there’s not much to do after dark except watch the sun go down over the majestic desert mountains. It’s definitely a destination event since, if you decide to go, you go for the tennis, and not much else. So for the players, there’s not much to do but focus on their tennis. Which can either be inspiring or terrifying depending on who you ask.
My first visit to Indian Wells was in 2008 on finals day where I saw Ana Ivanovic play Svetlana Kuznetsova who decided to play every point standing next to the line judges. Ivanovic won easily then went on to later win the French Open and everyone thought she would rule the world.
Fast forward two years later and Ivanovic, now barely seeded, hopes the desert will inspire her again. She got to the finals last year and a less than stellar run this year would beat down her ranking even more. As for “Sveta”, she finds herself the default No. 1 seed after Dinara Safina withdrew. If Kuznetsova can embrace the pressure of being the top seed remains to be seen.
The women’s field is wide open again thanks in part to Serena and Venus Williams’s continued boycott. Even with the recent purchase of the event by Larry Ellison of Oracle, it doesn’t seem like those wounds, however one chooses to view what did or didn’t happen in 2001, will ever heal. Wildcard Justine Henin will certainly be a pick of many to win the event while Kim Clijsters will want to make a good run if she wants to position herself back in the top 10 again. Maria Sharapova will also be eager to make a statement after her shock defeat in Melbourne.
On that same day in 2008 on finals day, Novak Djokovic, fresh from his Australian Open title, won the event defeating the surprise finalist Mardy Fish who beat Roger Federer in the semifinals. This was when it looked like Federer’s dominance was ending. Two years later, Federer is back in the driver’s seat while Djokovic finds himself at No. 2 and with more confidence than ever. But will Djokovic’s emotional Davis Cup win in Serbia over the U.S. Team affect his play?
Andy Roddick will certainly have a lot on his mind during his stay in the desert. He got to the semis last year by taking out Djokovic who was still out of sorts then. But Roddick knows he may need some help to get to the semis again. He’s holding onto the No. 8 spot for now in the rankings. But with the clay court season looming, he would prefer a decent run now to keep him in the top tier for Wimbledon. No. 9 is not a number to be at for the Big W.
And what about Rafael Nadal, last year’s winner? If anybody needs this title it’s him. A year ago, it looked like Nadal’s reign was just beginning. If he doesn’t do well here, what does it say for the rest of his year?
Indian Wells prides itself on being the first “mini-major” of the year. But controversy, and how the event chooses not to embrace it, could be a factor again. I’ll talk about that in an upcoming post and I’ll take a look at the women’s and men’s draws later this week and will post updates when I am there this weekend.
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