Looking back at Rafael Nadal's Indian Wells triumphs in 2007, 2009 and 2013
Rafael Nadal made history in January by lifting his second Australian Open trophy and breaking the Open Era record for most Major titles won by a male player. The Spaniard beat reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 for his first title in Melbourne since 2009.
Nadal followed up his Melbourne triumph with another scintillating run in Acapulco last week, where he again beat Medvedev en route to the title. He is now gearing up for his 15th participation in Indian Wells, which is scheduled to begin on 8 March. The Matador has won the title in the Californian desert thrice in the past - 2007, 2009 and 2013.
He is also an overwhelming favorite to take home the coveted title at Indian Wells this year in the absence of Novak Djokovic, who is by far the most successful player in the history of the Sunshine Double. On that note, let us take a look back at the Spaniard's title-winning runs at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
2007
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🏆 2007
🏆 2009
🏆 2013
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2007 Indian Wells: Rafael Nadal wins his first hardcourt Masters title in more than a year, without dropping a set
Nadal didn't have a great start to his career on hardcourts, failing to get past the quarter-final stage at either the Australian Open or the US Open in 2004-07. Having said that, the Spaniard was proficient at winning on the surface in the best-of-three format, as evidenced by his triumphs at the Canadian Masters and the Madrid Masters in 2005.
The Matador did struggle for success on hardcourts in 2006, though; he was dismantled by James Blake in their semi-final clash at Indian Wells, following which he had a mediocre run on the surface for the rest of the year. He had only dominated on clay up until this point, but would come into his own in 2007.
The Spaniard was in prime form at the 2007 Indian Wells Masters, winning the tournament without dropping a set. He beat Andy Roddick in the semifinals and Novak Djokovic in the championship match, winning his third big title on hardcourts in emphatic fashion.
2009 Indian Wells: Rafael Nadal saves 5 match points against David Nalbandian in the 4th round en route to winning the title
After a career-defining season in 2008, which saw him triumph at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Beijing Olympics, the Matador started the 2009 season playing arguably the best tennis of his life. He put in a Herculean effort to beat Roger Federer and Fernando Verdasco in two back-to-back five-set thrillers en route to winning the 2009 Australian Open against all odds.
No longer a mere contender on hardcourts, Nadal arrived at Indian Wells as one of the overarching favorites to win the title. The tag, however, almost jinxed his chances of winning the hardcourt event, as David Nalbandian put up stern resistance against him in the round of 16.
After losing the first set, Nadal was forced to stave off five match points before eventually getting the better of the Argentine and advancing to the last eight. The Spaniard didn't look back from that point onwards, beating top-10 players Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro without the loss of a set en-route to a second title in the Californian desert.
The tournament, however, turned out to be Nadal's last great campaign on hardcourts in 2009. He suffered injuries to his knees as the season progressed, which didn't allow him to play his best tennis.
2013 Indian Wells: Rafael Nadal comes from a set and a break down to beat an inspired Juan Martin del Potro in the final
2013 was the year in which Rafael Nadal truly marked his name as a hardcourt great. The Matador was on the comeback trail after once again suffering a knee injury the previous year. Not having played for nearly seven months, the Spaniard didn't appear to be in great shape as he lost his first claycourt final in years to the unseeded Horacio Zeballos at the 2013 VTR Open.
Although Nadal eventually found his range by winning his next two tournaments in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, it was hardly ideal preparation for the Sunshine Double. The Spaniard, however, exceeded expectations by playing some gutsy hardcourt tennis at Indian Wells.
He beat Roger Federer, who was suffering from back niggles, in straight sets in the quarterfinals before comprehensively beating Tomas Berdych to reach the summit clash, where he would meet Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine made the final after beating Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. He even had a leg-up on Nadal in the summit clash as he led him by a set and a break.
Nadal, however, refused to give up and shifted gears to launch a comeback, eventually registering a three-set win over the Gentle Giant. The victory marked his 22nd ATP Masters 1000 title, thereby breaking Federer's record for most titles won in that category.
The Spaniard had a seamless year on the hardcourts from that moment on, winning the elusive North American Hardcourt Slam (the US Open and the two hardcourt Masters 1000 tournaments preceding it) a few months later.