2013 Indian Wells Preview

2013 Indian Wells Preview

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2013 Indian Wells Preview

WHAT’S INSIDE LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

p.5

WORLD TENNIS DAY

DESERT RUN

p.17-21 RANKINGS

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p.6-9 BRYAN BROTHERS: INDIAN WELLS CURSE

CLOSINGS SHOTS

p.24-28

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2013 Indian Wells Preview

Blogs

Editors

Theodore L. LePak ted@tennisnow.com Erwin Ong Blair Hemley

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Writers

Erik Gudris

Letter from the Editor As the fifth largest tournament in the world, the BNP Paribas Open is one of the most colorful and vibrant tournaments on the tour. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden is preparing for the arrival of the top tennis talent and the top shelf tennis matches that go along with it. If Rafael Nadal shows up to play, will there be a “Big Four” showdown? Believe it or not, it’s been more than a year since Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Nadal made the semifinals of the same tournament.

Chris Oddo

In this edition, defending champions Roger Federer and Victoria Azarenka grace the covers of our magazine. Federer’s inability to defend his titles in Rotterdam and Dubai raise questions about his chances of a title run in California. Victoria Azarenka will be looking to keep her 2013 unbeaten streak alive, which will undoubtedly be easier without the world No. 1 Serena Williams in the draw. We also addressed the Bryan Brothers Indian Wells title drought and predicted which underdogs are primed to make a run in the desert.

Blair Henley

A special thanks to our writers and graphics team who help piece this magazine together. We hope you enjoy this edition and the thrilling matches of Indian Wells!

blair@tennisnow.com

Nick Georgandis

Design

Alberto Capetillo Juan Esparza

Photography Natasha Peterson Mark Peterson

Theodore LePak Editor, Tennis Now Magazine Ted@tennisnow.com

TennisNow

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World Tennis Day ­– Nick Georgandis

For most sports fans, tennis is a game with four big events - the Grand Slams - and a bunch of tournaments around the world to fill the space between.

In an effort to change that perspective, the International Tennis Federation has declared Monday, March 4 as World Tennis Day in hopes to draw attention to the sport with multiple high-profile events around the globe.

The effort begins with exposing children to the sport of tennis, with the USTA calling on sports clubs around the United States to host kid-friendly festivals and events that allow children to either get their first taste of playing tennis or encourage them to play it more.

There will be two major tennis exhibitions that day in the United States - the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which is in its sixth year, and the LA Tennis Challenge in California.

The BNP Paribas Showdown will feature two amazing matchups, including the two top female players in the world squaring off - No. 1 Serena Williams against No. 2 Victoria Azarenka. Azarenka recently defeated Williams in the Doha final, and the pair has combined to win four of the past five Grand Slam titles. Williams leads the alltime series 11-2.

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The men’s matchup will feature Rafael Nadal, recently returned to form from a lengthy injury layoff, against Juan Martin Del Potro.

Nadal enters the matchup ranked No. 5 in the world, while Del Potro is No. 7. Nadal has won 11 Grand Slam titles and Del Potro one.

Despite Nadal’s overall brilliance, he’s just 7-3 against the Argentine all-time, with all three of the Del Potro’s wins coming on hard courts, like those at Madison Square Garden.

The LA Tennis Challenge, which will be held inside UCLA’s legendary Pauley Pavillion, will feature the hottest man on the ATP tour, the greatest player in American history, one of the top-ranked Americans of the last five years, and the most prolific men’s doubles squad of all time.

The Challenge opens with current top 20 German Tommy Haas taking on former top 5 American player James Blake. It will be followed by world No. 1 Novak Djokovic against American Mardy Fish, who will be playing his first match back after a seven month absence. Then fans will enjoy the true treat of the evening: a doubles match between Djokovic and American icon Pete Sampras against Bob and Mike Bryan.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the Justin Gimelstob Children’s Fund, the Novak Djokovic Foundation, the Call to Cure, and the Southern California Tennis Association.

Djokovic, a six-time Grand Slam winner, is a perfect 7-0 against Fish.

Haas is 3-2 against Blake, although they haven’t faced each other since 2007.

Sampras won 14 singles Grand Slams in his career, while the Bryan Brothers have racked up 13 Grand Slam doubles titles and the 2012 Olympic gold medal.

Not to be outdone, the BNP Paribas Showdown in Hong Kong will feature a former No. 1, the most popular player on the Asian continent and renew one of the most hard-hitting rivalries of the 1980s.

The venue will be the Asia World-Arena in Hong Kong, which seats about 16,000. The WTA matchup will pit former No. 1 and current No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki against China’s Li Na, ranked fifth in

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the world, and the only Asian female to date to play in and win a Grand Slam title (2011 French Open champion).When Li plays, Asia watches, as was evidenced two years ago when a staggering 116 million people in China alone tuned in to watch the finals of the French Open.

The men’s event will feature former rivals Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe, revisiting one of the greatest rivalries of the Open Era. After years as a private citizen, Lendl returned to the game in the last 18 months, playing exhibition tennis and becoming the coach for Andy Murray, who broke through to win the 2012 Olympic gold in men’s singles and the 2012 US Open title. Lendl won eight Grand Slam titles in his playing days and was ranked No. 1 in the world for 270 weeks, third-most in Open Era history.

McEnroe, the outspoken American who has remained in the public eye for more than three decades, won seven Grand Slam titles and was ranked No. 1 for 170 weeks. As professionals, the pair squared off 36 times, with Lendl holding a 21-15 advantage. The Tennis Channel will cover the action in Hong Kong.

All three exhibitions are being put on by StarGames.

“We didn’t just expand to Hong Kong—this is really an effort to create World Tennis Day on a much broader platform,” said StarGames president Jerry Solomon. “We’re going to have

grassroots programs going on all around the world. We started out with 200 tennis clubs participating, and last year we had over 2,000.”

Solomon estimates that 3,000 tennis clubs will participate this year.

Among the ideas being promoted is 10 and Under Tennis - a version of the sport with equipment and court dimensions geared toward the abilities and interest levels of the youngest tennis players, rather like the way Little League Baseball or Pee-Wee Football work.

“We didn’t just expand to Hong Kong—this is really an effort to create World Tennis Day on a much broader platform” –Jerry Solomon, Star Games president

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Bryan Brothers Indian Wells Curse ­– Chris Oddo

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When Will the Bryan Brothers End the Indian Wells Curse?

The Bryan Brothers have won 13 Grand Slams, Olympic Gold medals, a Davis Cup crown and 85 doubles titles on the ATP Tour as a team, so it’s logical to ask the question: Is there anything the Bryans haven’t accomplished over the course of their decade and a half of doubles domination?

Now that you mention it, there is one wee little thing, a proverbial thorn in Mike and Bob’s side if you will, that has been bothering them for the last, oh, 14 years.

They haven’t won Indian Wells.

Strange as it sounds, because Indian Wells is practically in their backyard in tennis terms (it is one of only two tournaments left in

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California on a tour where most tournaments are played on the other side of the globe), it’s true. The Bryans were raised a mere three hours northwest of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and yet each year that they make the trek to California’s tennis mecca, they end up going home feeling like strangers in a foreign land.

How can it be that the Bryan Brothers feel more at home on the courts of Madrid, where they’ve won four Masters 1000 titles, or Rome, where they’ve won two on the red clay, than they do in their home state?

win it more with each passing year. “We always focus extra hard on the tournaments we haven’t won,” Bob once said on an ESPN Chat. “We feel that it is our hometown tournament. We want to hold up the trophy at the end of the week.”

Perhaps this could be the year? Or, perhaps, like many of the world’s greatest songwriters, Mike and Bob Bryan will turn their Indian Wells heartbreak into the first No. 1 single for the Bryan Brothers Band. Talking about making lemonade when life gives you lemons.

It boggles the mind, and not even the Bryans seem to have a clue.

They’ve been close before--even on the brink--at Indian Wells.

In 2003, they blew a 5-2 lead in the second set against Wayne Ferreira and Yevgeny Kafelnikov before bowing out 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

The first verse would go something like this:

“That’s what kind of put a little bit of a bad taste in our mouth,” Bob Bryan told Doug Robson of USA Today in a 2011 interview about the curse. “It was one of those ones where we wanted to take two weeks off and quit. We even had to read the newspaper the next day to believe we let it get away.”

And the first chorus:

Three years later the Bryans would return to the final and get bounced by Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor, 6-4, 6-4.

It would be their last trip to the final.

In the six years since that last final appearance, the Bryan Brothers have only reached one measly semifinal. For a doubles tandem that wins nearly half the tournaments it plays, something doesn’t seem right.

It certainly isn’t talent that’s holding them back. The Bryan Brothers are widely recognized as the best pair to ever play the game, and they backed those claims up on paper when they won their all-time best 13th Grand Slam title in Australia this winter to eclipse John Newcombe and Tony Roche’s long-held record of 12.

But when it comes to Indian Wells, the Bryan’s mystique is more like the Bryan’s mistake. “When we get down a break it feels like two breaks,” Bob Bryan told Robson in that 2011 interview.

“Maybe we want it too much,” Mike added.

And just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse at Indian Wells, Mike had to withdraw last year after catching the airborne flu virus that wreaked havoc at the event. They were just three matches from the title after coming from behind to defeat Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez 17-15 in the match-deciding tiebreak.

Still, despite all the bad bounces and hard-luck losses, the Bryans haven’t considered giving up on Indian Wells. In fact, they want to

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Heartbreak in the desert/ couldn’t find our feet/ Still got 13 Slams though/ and we still got the beat.

Gonna smash our racquet like we’re Kurt Cobain/ ‘Cause playing Indian Wells is causing nothing but pain.

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Preview

Deser t Run While everyone entered into the BNP Paribas Open is hoping for success, four players in particular—some rising, some slumping—could all use a deep run in the desert to set them up for a strong 2013 season. ­– Erik Gudris

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RYAN HARRISON Indian Wells has been the site of some of the young American’s biggest accomplishments in his pro career. He reached the fourth round twice in 2011 and 2012, getting many fans excited about his future prospects. But since then, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Louisiana native who finished last year with a record of 23-24. His start to this year has been filled with several opening round losses.

Though often cited as having an all-court game, lately Harrison appears to be going sideways, both in his development as a player and his inability to beat lower-ranked opponents. He’s also been through a merry-go-round of coaching changes and has settled,

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for the moment, on splitting the duties between his father and good friend Tres Davis.

The 20-year-old has found inspiration in the often vocal proAmerican crowd, and he’ll need that plus a kind draw if he aims to reach the fourth round again. With growing pressure to live up to his “next big thing” status, Harrison will be looking to make some noise aside from the breaking of his racquets in the early rounds.

JOHN ISNER “Big John” got American tennis fans plenty excited about his run to the finals last year that included a win over top seed Novak Djokovic. Though Isner looked poised to perhaps make an even bigger move in the rankings from his career high of No. 9, 2012 ended up being a so-so season for the tall man from North Carolina. This year hasn’t started out so smoothly for Isner either; he skipped the Australian Open with a knee injury and then lost in five sets to Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci in Davis Cup.

needs now is a boost of confidence that he can take with him onto the European clay courts - a surface that, ironically, seems to suit his game best.

Another run to the finals at Indian Wells might be too much to ask, but Isner definitely needs some quality wins to convince himself (and tennis fans) that he can be a threat at big events.

With Isner understandably preferring to play in his home country, Indian Wells is the ideal place for him to jumpstart his season.

Despite having one of the biggest serves in the sport, it is Isner’s return game that continues to let him down. Whether he can improve on that shot is anyone’s guess, but what Isner really

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SAM STOSUR Though playing “down under” sends her into near paralysis, Australia’s Sam Stosur has been able to loosen up when competing in America. The U.S. Open champion reached the semis of Indian Wells a few years ago and the relaxed atmosphere of the desert seems to suit the low-key Queensland native.

But Stosur enters Indian Wells this year as a bit of a question mark. Despite a run to the quarterfinals of both Doha and Dubai, the Aussie doesn’t exactly feel like a dark horse in the women’s draw. With her big serve and big forehand, she’s got the game to challenge almost anyone. But she’s been upset early the last two years at Indian Wells; a fate she will want to avoid again.

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After being a fixture in the top ten for the last few years, Stosur is clinging on to her spot in that elite tier right now. After a so-so start to the season, a good result at Indian Wells is exactly what she needs.

PETRA KVITOVA Fans are excited again about the big swinging, “Podj!” yelling Petra Kvitova. The former Wimbledon champion pushed Serena Williams in Doha and then went to claim her first title of the year in Dubai. Now ranked No. 7, many feel Kvitova is finally poised to climb back into the top four or higher this year.

easy wins into full-blown battles.

Dubai was a great step in the right direction for Kvitova. But for someone prone to having up and down results, she’ll want to keep her momentum going at Indian Wells, proving once again that she can be a future contender for the No. 1 ranking.

But to do that, she must perform well in American tournaments, starting with Indian Wells. Kvitova has only gone as far as the third round there, including last year when she lost a close battle with Christina McHale. When she’s hitting cleanly, Kvitova can blow anybody off of the court. She’s also prone to lapses that allow her opponents room to breathe, turning what should be

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RANKINGS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Djokovic, Novak Federer, Roger Murray, Andy Ferrer, David Nadal, Rafael Berdych, Tomas Del Potro, Juan Martin Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried Tipsarevic, Janko Gasquet, Richard Cilic, Marin Almagro, Nicolas Simon, Gilles Monaco, Juan Isner, John Nishikori, Kei Wawrinka, Stanislas Raonic, Milos Haas, Tommy Seppi, Andreas Kohlschreiber, Philipp Dolgopolov, Alexandr Querrey, Sam Verdasco, Fernando Chardy, Jeremy

SRB SUI GBR ESP ESP CZE ARG FRA SRB FRA CRO ESP FRA ARG USA JPN SUI CAN GER ITA GER UKR USA ESP FRA

12,960 9,855 8,480 6,865 5,755 4,545 4,410 3,660 3,125 2,880 2,535 2,480 2,390 2,220 2,125 2,100 2,050 2,050 1,815 1,730 1,720 1,715 1,695 1,525 1,401

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Williams, Serena Azarenka, Victoria Sharapova, Maria Radwanska, Agnieszka Li, Na Kerber, Angelique Kvitova, Petra Errani, Sara Stosur, Samantha Wozniacki, Caroline Bartoli, Marion Petrova, Nadia Ivanovic, Ana Cibulkova, Dominika Kirilenko, Maria Vinci, Roberta Stephens, Sloane Safarova, Lucie Makarova, Ekaterina Williams, Venus Jankovic, Jelena Zakopalova, Klara Hsieh, Su-Wei Goerges, Julia Lepchenko, Varvara

USA BLR RUS POL CHN GER CZE ITA AUS DNK FRA RUS SRB SVK RUS ITA USA CZE RUS USA SRB CZE TWN GER USA

10365 10325 9715 7505 6130 5400 4980 4915 3835 3570 3265 3050 2836 2695 2671 2665 2535 2065 1950 1810 1770 1725 1656 1655 1652 2013 Indian Wells Preview

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After a long recovery, Rafa Nadal is back in business. But is he ready to play the hard courts of Indian Wells?

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Roger Federer walks off with the giant John Isner after the 2012 finals match. Isner surprised Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and could make an impressive run this year too.

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Last year, Victoria Azarenka defeated Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber, and Maria Sharapova on her way to claim the title. This year, with Serena out of the picture, Azarenka will be a serious threat to repeat her prior results.

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