Thiem On Indian Wells Breakthrough: ‘It Feels Unreal’
Mar182019
Austrian turns his season around at the BNP Paribas Open
Who said that Dominic Thiem can bring his best tennis only on clay courts?
The Austrian completed a dream fortnight on Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open by toppling Roger Federer for his first ATP Masters 1000 title. Fans perhaps best know Thiem for his clay-court prowess, but the high-bouncing hard courts in Indian Wells suited his game perfectly and his skills on slower surfaces seamlessly transferred over.
“It feels unreal what happened in these 10 days. I came with really bad form in all categories and now I’m the champion of Indian Wells,” said Thiem. “It’s amazing that I did my first big title here on a different surface than clay. I turned a pretty bad start to the season to a very good one.”
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After a first-round exit last month at the Rio Open presented by Claro, Thiem was able to prepare for nearly two weeks in Indian Wells with new coach Nicolas Massu. The hours logged on the practise court were evident and Thiem delivered a high-quality brand of attacking tennis that gave no indication of his 3-4 record to start the season.
Perhaps the most satisfying part of his title run is who he defeated. After beating Milos Raonic in the semi-finals for the first time in their three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, Thiem took out Federer for the first time on a hard court. He became one of at least five players to defeat Federer on all three surfaces, joining Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Patrick Rafter.
But Thiem was quick to praise Federer after the match and said he will likely never catch up to the Swiss star’s 100 tour-level singles titles. He also noted how difficult it still is to beat Federer, in part because of everything he’s accomplished throughout his career.
“He’s such a legend. For all of us younger players, it’s a privilege to still be able to compete with him and play against him in the finals of big tournaments like this one,” said Thiem. “Against Roger, Rafa, Novak, and some other guys, you have to beat not only the player, but also the great aura they have and all these titles they have won. You have to play doubly good to beat them.”
Thiem’s victory at Indian Wells moves him up to No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, matching his career-best standing. He also jumps well inside the Top 8 of the ATP Race To London. But with his first match at the Miami Open presented by Itau less than a week away, Thiem is already looking forward to hitting the practise courts and continuing his top form.
“Of course, the title is amazing [and] it will stay there forever,” said Thiem. “But it would be nice if I could hold this shape and all of these positive emotions in the next tournament and every tournament I play.”
The season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event had it all
From the opening round of the ATP Masters 1000, when 40-year-old Ivo Karlovic made history, to the final, where Dominic Thiem made personal history, relive the best moments of the 2019 BNP Paribas Open…
Thiem Becomes Masters 1000 Champion: Dominic Thiem had three wins on the 2019 season coming into the BNP Paribas Open. He won five matches in Indian Wells to win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title. “It’s unreal,” Thiem said.
The 25-year-old fell in both of his previous Masters 1000 finals (2017, 2018 Madrid), but Thiem rallied to beat Federer, who was seeking his 101st title, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Thiem now has 12 tour-level titles, only three of which have come on hard courts.
Read Final Match Report
We Are The Champions: Nikola Mektic & Horacio Zeballos had played all of one tournament together before taking to the purple courts in Indian Wells. Who said you need experience as a team before success?
The Croatian/Argentine pairing beat Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo 4-6, 6-4, 10-3 to win the Masters 1000 title. The champions overcame two match points in the second round against top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut.
Read Final Match Report
Federer Falls Short Of No. 101: Roger Federer, just two weeks after winning his 100th title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, looked on the verge of winning No. 101. Federer, winner of 27 Masters 1000 titles, blitzed through the opening set in 36 minutes. But, like during his 2018 Indian Wells final against Juan Martin del Potro, Federer was unable to close it out and fell in three. The Swiss, however, heads to Miami full of confidence.
Read Match Report: Federer Falls To Thiem In Indian Wells Final
The Gold Connection: Thiem hoped to have more hard-court success by bringing two-time Olympic gold medalist Nicolas Massu onto his team, and so far, so good. The two have spent only three weeks together, and Thiem already has his first Masters 1000 title.
Watch: Massu Reveals Why He’s Helping Thiem
When Champions Unite: Rafael Nadal unfortunately had to withdraw from his semi-final against Federer, but fans inside Stadium 1 still received a show. Five-time champion Novak Djokovic, former No. 1 John McEnroe, two-time champion Pete Sampras and Tournament Director Tommy Haas played a doubles exhibition.
Read More: Djokovic, McEnroe, Sampras and Haas Put On A Show
Courage Under Fire: Nadal had seen the trainer and had his right knee taped, but the Spaniard, an all-time fighter, still persisted to enjoy a courageous win over Russian Karen Khachanov in the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals. “I am used to playing with some issues, so I just tried to be focused,” Nadal said. “It’s one of the victories… that I am really proud of.”
Read More: Nadal Beats Khachanov To Reach Indian Wells SF
Milos & The Magician: The hire turned heads initially: Milos Raonic, a power hitter, working with “The Magician” Fabrice Santoro? But Santoro has helped the Canadian add variety to his power game, and the partnership seems to be going well on and off the court.
Read Feature: Raonic, With Power & Variety, Seeks Masters 1000 Glory
Luckiest Loser: Quick: The last Serbian male standing at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open? If you didn’t guess “Who is Miomir Kecmanovic?”, you’re not alone. The 19-year-old didn’t predict his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final run in Indian Wells, either. “I did not see that coming, not at all,” said Kecmanovic, who lost in the final round of qualifying and got into the main draw after Kevin Anderson withdrew. “It will be funny that somebody other than Novak is still in.”
Read Feature
Sweet Dream: Hubert Hurkacz and Roger Federer had hit together once before. “I remember in the warm-up he barely made a mistake, and every time he made a mistake, he apologised,” said Federer “He’s a really nice guy, and he seems very sweet.” With wins over Lucas Pouille, Kei Nishikori and Denis Shapovalov to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final, the 22-year-old Hurkacz set up his dream meeting with his idol on one of the biggest stages in tennis.
Read Feature
Djokognini Debuts: It just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? “Djokognini.” OK, maybe not, but the fans didn’t care. They still rooted for the players behind the nickname — Fabio Fognini and Novak Djokovic — as the two reached the semi-finals before falling to Kubot/Melo. The doubles draw in Indian Wells, always a fan favourite, featured 20 of the 32 seeded singles players.
Read More: Kubot/Melo Down Djokovic/Fognini
Magical Monfils: Indian Wells featured tennis fans’ three favourite words often during the fortnight: Monfils Hot Shot. The Frenchman was entertaining but also intense in the desert, looking like a man destined for a deep run. An injury, however, halted Monfils’ stay. The Frenchman had to withdraw ahead of his quarter-final against Thiem because of a severely strained Achilles tendon in his left leg.
Read More: Monfils Magic: Gael Dominates Kohlschreiber
Finally Free: Filip Krajinovic has learned his Masters 1000 lesson: No more finals. The Serbian reached the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters title match, the best result of his career, but he’s glad that the ATP Rankings points from that run have finally come off his ranking. “I make sure I’m not playing finals. It’s better to play quarters,” he joked.
Read Feature
Just Getting Started: Philipp Kohlschreiber played a World No. 1 in only his second tour-level match. Seventeen years later, and on his 12th attempt, he finally got a win over the top player on the ATP Tour – defeating Novak Djokovic in the third round. In his on-court interview, when asked how it felt to see his hard work still paying off at this stage, the 35-year-old German joked, “What do you mean, this stage? I’m just starting my career!”
Read Match Report | 5 Things To Know
Roller Coaster Ride: Yoshihito Nishioka had the match in the bag: The Japanese left-hander led #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7(2), 6-4, 5-1. Auger-Aliassime, however, saved three set points and forced a third-set tie-break before Nishioka finally closed it out 7-6(5).
Read More: Nishioka Rides Roller Coaster To Thrilling Win
Denis RAP-ovalov: A bet’s a bet, even if you’re one of the best #NextGenATP players on the ATP Tour and you’ve reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open. After Denis Shapovalov beat Steve Johnson on Sunday, he agreed with Stadium 3 emcee Blair Henley that, if he won again on Stadium 3, he’d rap after the match. On Tuesday, he beat Marin Cilic to reach the fourth round, and Henley compelled him to make good on their agreement. Read More
Two Hip Surgeries Later: Marcos Giron was ready for his third-round Indian Wells run… four years ago. In 2014, he pushed John Isner at the US Open and felt like ATP Tour success was to follow. But Giron had to overcome early struggles on the Tour and two hip surgeries before he’d enjoy his moment in the desert.
Read Feature
India’s No. 1: He nearly quit tennis. Now, at the age of 29, Prajnesh Gunneswaran is India’s top player. In the space of 11 months, the Chennai native has claimed his first two ATP Challenger Tour titles, won on his ATP main draw debut (d. Shapovalov) and risen into the Top 100. His progression continued at the BNP Paribas Open, where he qualified for his first Masters 1000 main draw and proceeded to upset former World No. 18 Benoit Paire and No. 17 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Read 5 Things To Know
Fueled By Home Cooking: Maybe it was the maple syrup? Felix Auger-Aliassime faced his first Top 10 foe in Indian Wells, and the #NextGenATP Canadian scored his first Top 10 win, beating Greece’s #NextGenATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas. Auger-Aliassime felt at home all week in Indian Wells, partly because his family was there with him.
We joined the 18-year-old Canadian at his home in Indian Wells, where his mother showed off the secret sauce: maple syrup from Quebec. Read Match Report | Read Feature
Watch: Felix Fueled By Home Cooking In Indian Wells
40s Are The New 30s: By now, 40-year-old Ivo Karlovic is used to the “oldest to do” accomplishments on the ATP Tour. He’s even embracing the label. “Every week I am the oldest at something, so I don’t know. Next week it will be the oldest ever to walk without implants in his hip,” he said, smiling.
Karlovic added another bullet point to that list in Indian Wells. Read Feature
Honouring The Best: The BNP Paribas Open has been voted as the Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year for five straight seasons, and last week, celebrated its distinction in the 2018 ATP Awards with fans at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Read More
Cards Against Humanity: Grigor Dimitrov, John Isner, Nick Kyrgios and Kyle Edmund have rarely laughed more in their lives.
Dominic Thiem ended Roger Federer’s bid for a record sixth Indian Wells title with a battling three-set victory in the final in California.
The Austrian seventh seed fought back to beat Federer 3-6 6-3 7-5.
Swiss Federer, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, converted just two of 11 break points and made 32 unforced errors to Thiem’s 25.
Thiem collapsed onto his back in delight as he secured his first title at a Masters 1000 event.
Thiem will rise to fourth in the world rankings on Monday after winning his first event since September 2018.
Wildcard Andreescu claims Indian Wells title
Live scores, schedule and results
Federer, who lost last year’s final in Indian Wells to Juan Martin del Potro, made a confident start.
He created early break opportunities in Thiem’s first service game and converted his fourth break point of the opening set for a 2-0 lead.
Thiem, competing in his third Masters 1000 final, forced the error out of Federer’s backhand to get back on serve, but the Swiss kept him under pressure.
A fine backhand return of serve allowed Federer to break for a 5-3 lead, and he closed out the set in 36 minutes.
Federer looked comfortable and quickly created another two break opportunities in the second set, but the 37-year-old squandered them both.
A poor service game, with Federer rushing his approaches to the net, allowed Thiem to break and the Austrian held his nerve to force an unlikely third set.
Thiem saved a break point in a game lasting eight minutes to hold for 4-4, and overcame a nasty fall to break Federer three games later and serve for the title.
The Austrian won 70% of first-serve points and ensured victory as Federer sent a return into the net.
Federer, who won his 100th ATP title in Dubai in the week before Indian Wells, will move to fifth in the rankings.
Bianca Andreescu’s remarkable Indian Wells run culminated with the wildcard beating three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber to secure the title.
The 18-year-old Canadian, ranked outside the top 150 at the start of the year, beat the German 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Kerber saved three match points on the Andreescu serve and broke back for 5-4 in the third set.
However, Andreescu produced a remarkable return game to win the biggest title of her young career.
Andreescu showed remarkable grit to fight back from a break down in the third set and put herself in front.
She grew tight when serving for the match and had cramp at the changeover, but her big-hitting helped ensure a stunning win.
Andreescu now has 28 match wins this season – more than any other WTA player – and will rise to 24 in the world.
She is also the first wildcard to win the Indian Wells title and the fourth-youngest champion in California.
Live scores & results
From ‘I can barely move’ to California champion
Andreescu showed remarkable composure to become, at 18 years and 274 days, the youngest Indian Wells champion since Serena Williams – then aged 17 years and 169 days – in 1999.
She broke Kerber in the opening game of the match as the German double-faulted and dropped just two points behind her second serve in the first set.
Andreescu did not face a break point on her serve in taking that set and closed it out with her 10th forehand winner.
However Kerber, one of the best defensive players on the WTA Tour, saved two break points in the third game of the second set and took advantage as Andreescu faltered.
Kerber won three games in a row to take a 4-1 lead and Andreescu, struggling with the heat and her heavily taped right shoulder, sent a backhand into the net to take the match to a decider.
Andreescu fought back from 0-30 down to move to a 2-1 lead in the third before taking a three-minute medical timeout for her shoulder.
As Kerber broke and inched closer to the title, Andreescu called for her coach to come on court, telling him “I’m tired – I can barely move”.
Coach Sylvain Bruneau told her to “push through” – and she won four games in a row to break back and serve for the title.
Kerber’s brilliant play, including a defensive lob on the third match point, wrong-footed Andreescu, and the German forced the set to 5-4.
However Andreescu, despite looking exhausted, converted her fourth match point to claim her first Premier Mandatory title.
Premier Mandatory events are the top-ranked tournaments outside of the four Grand Slams.
Yoga, meditation & a secret jar
Andreescu has had huge success in 2019 so far after struggling with injury earlier in her career.
Two stress fractures in her foot limited her 2016 season and she was hindered by a back injury in 2018.
She was ranked 152 at the start of the year but beat top seed Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams and Hsieh Su-wei to reach the Auckland final in January.
Andreescu took the first set off defending champion Julia Gorges but slipped to a three set defeat as her body became – in her words – “a mess”.
She has credited yoga and meditation for improving her on-court mentality, telling the WTA: “The mental part of the game is the most important because it controls your whole body”.
The Canadian keeps a spiral hair tie around her elbow when she plays and she sniffed from a jar that she keeps in her bag during her second round win over Stefanie Voegele.
When asked what was in the jar, Andreescu joked: “I’m never going to reveal my secret”.
The BNP Paribas Open title is on the line between Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem
Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem are battling for the BNP Paribas Open title, with plenty at stake for both competitors. It’s a duel in the desert for ATP Masters 1000 glory.
The first Masters 1000 shield of the year is up for grabs in Indian Wells, with Federer seeking a record sixth title in the California desert. He is currently tied with Novak Djokovic atop the leaderboard at the prestigious hard-court tournament. In addition, the Swiss is eyeing a 101st tour-level title and 28th at the Masters 1000 level.
On the other side of the net, Thiem is targeting his maiden moment in the Masters 1000 spotlight. Appearing in his third final, he previously came up short against Rafael Nadal at the 2017 Mutua Madrid Open and to Alexander Zverev last year in the Spanish capital.
Tied at two wins apiece, Sunday’s champion will earn bragging rights in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Federer most recently prevailed at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, while Thiem took the previous two encounters.
More to come…
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Roger Federer is the overwhelming favourite to take the Indian Wells title on Sunday afternoon. He takes on Dominic Thiem,…
Bianca Andreescu looks to cap off her dream tournament with a win in the final at Indian Wells. The Canadian wildcard…