Reliving Rafael Nadal’s Indian Wells Dominance

2009: Resilient Nadal Saves Five Match Points En Route To Indian Wells Crown No. 2

Coming off a thrilling Grand Slam final victory over Roger Federer at the 2009 Australian Open and maiden title in Melbourne, Rafael Nadal entered Indian Wells in 2009 as the player to beat on Tour.

But despite his impressive run of form heading into the tournament, Nadal found himself on the brink of elimination early in the tournament.  The Spaniard found himself down 3-6, 3-5, serving 30-40 in the fourth round to David Nalbandian. From down match point, Nadal would go on to produce one of his most iconic Indian Wells moments.

Nadal remained composed, hitting a ferocious forehand that brought the game to deuce. That would be the first of five match points Nadal would save, including four in that game alone. He battled back and won the second set on a tiebreaker, and capitalized on his momentum with a  roaring crowd behind him to win the third set without dropping a game. 

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Despite his prolonged battle with Nalbandian into the thick of the desert night, Nadal was firing from the start against his next opponent, Juan Martin Del Potro. He broke Del Potro’s serve early in both sets on his way to a 6-2, 6-4 victory, maintaining his track of never dropping a set to the Argentinian. He faced Andy Roddick in the semifinal, who posed a bigger threat down the stretch but still failed to win a set over the Spaniard, who won 6-4, 7-6(4) to advance to the final. 

Nadal met Andy Murray in the final on a day where swirling desert winds played a large factor. Despite the turbulence, Nadal cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory, handing the 21-year-old Scotsman one of his toughest defeats of his early career. Nadal had prevailed in Tennis Paradise once again, this time dropping just one set along the way.