The saying goes that it is “better late than never,” and that is a sentiment that Sam Querrey certainly hopes holds true.  The American has endured peaks and too many valleys as a professional, but after a fantastic week in Acapulco that culminated with a victory over Rafael Nadal in the championship match, the American comes into Indian Wells aiming to continue his ascent up the rankings and make his appearance at the business end of tournaments a more regular occurrence. 

Up to this stage of his career, it could be argued that Querrey has slightly underachieved.  Few, if any, pegged him a future major champion when he turned professional, but many saw that he had the talent and potential to possibly catch lightning in a bottle over the course of a fortnight.  At the very least, he should have been considered a dangerous threat at most any tournament he entered and consistently been ranked towards the upper tiers of the sport.  After all, he has decent hands at the net and has improved his backhand wing.  His bread and butter though is his serve and forehand.  At 6'6” he owns one of the biggest serves on tour, and he has a monster forehand to go with it.  He should be able to get plenty of mileage out of those strokes, as numerous players have carved out lucrative careers with those two weapons serving as the crux of their games.  In fact, his compatriot, the retired former world no. 1 Andy Roddick, relied heavily on that pair of weapons on his way to securing the 2003 US Open. 

Of course, it is not fair or even feasible to hold Querrey up to the same standard as Roddick.  The elder American had the overall better game and more talent, but the similarities in the backbones of their games suggest that Querrey has been capable of producing better results.  The issue for Querrey is that a couple of key areas where he has differed greatly from Roddick and the sport's elite is in his level of belief and competitive drive.  The legends can be counted upon to give it their all, no matter what the situation.  They also walk out onto the court honestly believing that they belong there and can find a way to get the win regardless of the opponent.  Historically, that mindset has been lacking with Querrey.  He has at times looked at a loss for what to do on the court, and when the wheels start to come off, he has often seemingly thrown in the towel too early.  It is difficult to enjoy a breakthrough that serves as a springboard to greater success with that approach.

The good news for Querrey is that as long as he is still out there competing, there is still time for him to discover the confidence necessary for success, and he may be getting closer to that level.  There were high hopes after he pulled off a huge upset over Novak Djokovic in the third round of Wimbledon last summer – a feat made even more impressive given that he had to do it over the course of two days.  He never quite backed up that victory, but with this win last week in Acapulco, he has put himself in a position do so again.  He may be perhaps in an even better position to do so.  His tournament run in Acapulco did not require him to come up with just a single big win over Nadal.  Instead, he defeated three other Top 20 players, all in succession, to hoist the trophy.  What is also encouraging is that there seems to be an increased awareness on Querrey's part of what he needs to do when competing.  He understands his strengths and recognizes he must commit to utilizing them from match beginning to end.

If Querrey can make that commitment and prove mentally tough, then there could be greater results in his future.  Countryman Mardy Fish found his optimum level in the latter stages of his career.  Angelique Kerber on the women's side has proven that one's best tennis can come late.  Maybe Querrey will also show himself to be a late bloomer.  If he is to do that, however, it is imperative that he make something happen at Indian Wells, Miami, or both.  He has had too many ups and down in the past, and if he is to break that pattern and continue growing in confidence, he has to follow up that spectacular week in Acapulco with a notable finish at one of these prestigious tournaments sooner rather than later.