2012 BNP Paribas Tournament Recap

Written by: Staff on 20th March 2012

2012 BNP Paribas Tournament Recap |

The 2012 BNP Paribas Open truly lived up to its billing as one of the top tournaments in the world. This year we were very fortunate to see another title run from Roger Federer, a “statement” win from the world #3, and a performance by #1 Victoria Azarenka who has emerged as the dominant force on the WTA tour. Along the way there were other mini-stories that will raise questions and debates for the entire year to come.

Roger Federer came into Indian Wells under the weather, battling symptoms of flu/cold. Not expecting to win, the Swiss superstar was quite surprised to be the last man standing. But by the way he’s been playing lately, maybe he’ll regain that invincible aura that Nadal and Djokovic have been successful in diminishing. Certainly the sport’s top ambassador, owner of the BNP Paribas Open Larry Ellison is surely pleased and will continue to host the event in Indian Wells, CA. This year the event saw its attendance numbers go up to 370,604, defeating last year’s number of 350,086.

One of the most shocking stories was the early exit of Andy Murray. Despite all the talk and results recently, he was brushed aside by Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in his opening match. This raises numerous questions about whether Murray should be included in the “Big 4″ conversation. He appeared to be right on the fringes of greatness in the Australian Open semifinal, but this result at Indian Wells is not going to help his confidence or ranking. If anything, the conditions in the desert should enable Murray to go deeper in the tournament because the light air/altitude aid his ball in depth and velocity. Same could be said about Caroline Wozniacki. Strategically, asking them to play more aggressively goes against their counter-punching nature, it will take time for this adjustment to take place. Could Murray’s loss bring up the question of over-scheduling? Coming straight off a final round showing in Dubai and coming straight to California, could he have possibly been over-worked? Keep in mind, Federer won in Dubai and again here at Indian Wells…

Rafael Nadal made his return to competitive play after taking a month off. He said he was very happy with his results these two weeks; making the semifinals in singles and winning the doubles title (w/ Marc Lopez). He was unable to deal with a red-hot Federer, but admittedly said Federer was better than him that day. Rafa wasn’t playing his best tennis but for his first tournament back, but it’s safe to say it won’t be too long before he shows his true game on his unfortunate opponents. One more tournament in Miami before the King of Clay begins his yet another onslaught in Europe.

John Isner delighted everyone state-side with his run to both finals. The tall American can now be in the spotlight and give Roddick and Fish a breather. Consistency will be key for him and with the pressure ever-building, can Isner serve his way out of trouble?

Novak Djokovic lost an incredible match to Isner and will look to bounce back in Miami. Despite Federer’s run of winning the last 6 of 8 tournaments he’s played, Djokovic is still the world #1. The world waits anxiously to see if they meet in Miami and show us who the real #1 is. The only question that remains is which of the Big 3 will win Miami? None of the younger players or veteran top 20 have the consistency to defeat Federer/Djokovic/Nadal in back to back matches. Isner tried and failed this round, but he’s proven he has a weapon that can cause damage.

Victoria Azarenka has a strangle hold on the women’s tour right now. She’s moving great, hitting into the corners, returning with a vengeance, and riding a 23-0 win streak. She possesses a sense of humor and likes to add her personality into the game. This shows a no-fear attitude which is very important for a #1. Her play against Mona Barthel in the opening round exhibits that, coming to within a few points of losing and still going for the lines.

Petra Kvitova was dismissed by Christina McHale in the third round. Maybe her Achilles injury from February hasn’t fully recovered and hasn’t found the form that helped her become world #2 late last year. Kvitova was playing at an exceptional level last year, winning Wimbledon, the year-ending WTA Tour Finals, and also performing well in Fed Cup.

Sharapova put in good work making the finals of the singles event. Her serve was reliable however nerves may have got the better of her in the final as she opted for a consistent spin serve that Azarenka took advantage of. Sharapova was definitely playing very clean tennis, she shouldn’t get too down on herself but realize she needs to mix things up against Azarenka the next time they play.

Topics: BNP Paribas Open