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Novak Djokovic Stems Tide of Indian Wells Upsets

Mar 10th 2014

On a day when two top-10 rivals exited the BNP Paribas Open, Novak Djokovic opened his quest for a third Indian Wells title in encouraging fashion.  Earlier on Sunday, Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had fallen to unseeded opponents Roberto Bautista Agut and Julien Benneteau, respectively.  The world No. 2 avoided a similar fate by dispatching Victor Hanescu in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic

The former world No. 1 from Serbia had arrived in the desert with something to prove.  While Djokovic had lost to the eventual champions at both the Australian Open and Dubai, those defeats to Stanislas Wawrinka and Roger Federer had disappointed for more than the results themselves.  Known for a ferocious competitive resilience at his best, Djokovic faltered under pressure when both matches hung in the balance.

Thus, the Serb needed to turn a new leaf at a tournament that has witnessed his best tennis before.  Before it began, Djokovic received the boost of landing in the softer half of the draw.  By the time that he took the court for his first match on Sunday, moreover,  only one top-10 man (Richard Gasquet) remained among his possible pre-final opponents.  While plenty of talent outside the top 10 looms ahead, opportunity clearly knocked for a man who needed positive momentum.

Djokovic had won all six of his previous matches with Hanescu, although three of those victories came by retirement.  Despite that history, Hanescu outplayed the Serb for much of the first set.  The Romanian underdog never faced a break point on his own serve, partly because Djokovic seemed to lack his usual pinpoint timing on return.  By contrast, Hanescu earned five break points on the favorite’s serve, including two set points.  But Djokovic erased each of them, most with first serves that smartly targeted his opponent’s unreliable backhand. 

Hanescu’s dominance on serve throughout the set counted for little in a lopsided tiebreak in which he won only one point.  Djokovic not only returned more crisply in the tiebreak but covered the court in his usual suffocating fashion.  Left with no openings to exploit, Hanescu donated a series of unforced errors as he failed to put the favorite under pressure. 

That trend leaked into the second set, a much smoother passage of play by Djokovic.  The second seed rode his momentum from the tiebreak to an early service break of the flagging Hanescu, and he dominated behind his own serve throughout the set.  Djokovic did not face a break point while subjecting his opponent to steady pressure in return games.  The 7-6(1) 6-2 scoreline captured how he progressed from an uncertain start to a dominant finish.

Viewing his victory realistically, Djokovic noted that he will need to improve his form for more challenging battles ahead.  “I’m not very happy with my performance in this match,” said the Serb.  “But I will have to work hard on the practice courts to improve.”  Although he felt content with his serve, he acknowledged that other areas of his game fell short of his lofty standards.  Djokovic singled out his return in particular as a weapon that never reached its highest level.  

Djokovic also took the time to thank tournament owner Larry Ellison for the energy and resources that he devotes to tennis.  “There should be more people like him,” said the two-time Indian Wells champion, who appreciated Ellison’s commitment to constantly improving the Indian Wells Tennis Garden as a venue.

This tournament has the potential to be the biggest tournament in the world,” reflected Djokovic.  “There is no rule that the Grand Slams have to be the biggest tournaments in our sport.”

A busy Monday schedule features third-round action starring Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, and Ana Ivanovic, among others.  More on-site coverage from the BNP Paribas Open will follow tomorrow.