“10s Whenever” Newsletter, Vol. 61 – The Final Clash at Indian Wells

Written by: Reyes Gonzalez on 17th March 2012

"10s Whenever" Newsletter, Vol. 61 - The Final Clash at Indian Wells |

10sBalls.com’s

“10s Whenever” Newsletter, Vol. 61

*The Final Clash at Indian Wells*

17 March 2012

We’ve gotten this far, and although Djokovic and Nadal were just cut, we cannot stop until there is one Champ! Amazingly, John Isner has climbed the latter, after volleying against sharks, and will now face a legend in Tennis in order to try his luck for the BNP Paribas Cup. He surpassed Djokovic’s skill today, and may have what it takes – especially since he’s so tall and covers so much court area.

Federer also accomplished a stunning deafeat against Nadal; he has done so before, it’s just that Nadal has had the upper hand in their long “rivalry.” Just one last match to before 10sballs.com leaves the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. It’s been an incredible trek, thank you for making it a bearable one with your support!

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Ivanovic Retires, Maria Sharapova Advances to Final, Celebrity Sightings

Indian Wells, CA – It will be #1 versus #2 on Sunday as Maria Sharapova booked her spot into the women’s singles final this evening. Her opponent, Ana Ivanovic, was unable to continue playing at the beginning of the first set and was forced to retire. It was a shame because a packed Friday night crowd as well as the rest of the world was anticipating a highly entertaining match. If these two had continued to play at the level they were at during the first set, we’d all be calling this a classic tennis match. It featured differing personalities, plenty of winners, and two stars of the WTA circuit.

Lately there has been an increase in celebrity sightings at Indian Wells. [READ MORE].

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Saturday Preview: The Rivalry Continues – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Indian Wells, CA – #11 John Isner has made quite a statement this year reaching the singles semifinals as well as the doubles final with partner Sam Querrey. Novak Djokovic has looked dominant against his opponents and has only dropped one set. But the real story that everyone is focused on now is the rivalry semifinal match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal that will take center stage this afternoon. These two are the biggest ambassadors for the sport in this current generation, both with personalities loved on and off the court. When these two names align on a draw, the entire world notices. Rafa leads the head-to-head record 18-9, and part of the reason why this match up has been so exciting is because they always meet in the later stages of a tournament.

Here’s Nadal speaking on how he feels when he plays Roger Federer: “Always are special matches, no, especially because always are in very important matches for both of us…” [READ MORE].

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Match of the Tournament: Rafael Nadal d. Nalbandian 4-6 7-5 6-4

Indian Wells, CA – Rafael Nadal was two points away from losing his quarterfinal match against David Nalbandian. Up until that moment, Nalbandian was playing inspiring tennis that the Spaniard didn’t have many answers for. But Nadal characteristically fought back, dug in, and played his heart out in front of the largest stadium 1 crowd so far at the BNP Paribas Open. The points were hypnotic, back and forth, side to side, spin on top of more spin, leaving the crowd gasping, “Ooo’s and Ahh’s”, shouting, cheering, and completely mesmerized. It was sensational tennis and you had to appreciate both player’s strengths and fiery passion for the grinding battle.

Nalbandian was a tough opponent for Nadal today because of his ability to absorb Rafa’s forehand and go down the line off of both wings. Everyone involved with tennis knows that Nalbandian is one of the cleanest ball strikers in the world; when he hits the ball, the contact is so solid, smooth, and rhythmic (almost Federer like but in a baseline grinder fashion instead of all-court attacker). It was incredible how he stood on the baseline, moving Nadal around, fighting off his spin, and finding ways to attack the Nadal armor. Nadal was very concerned the entire first two sets, glancing over to his box with intense looks of uncertainty every change over. [READ MORE].

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