Djokovic, Pennetta triumph in Indian Wells
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Novak Djokovic came into Indian Wells for the first time in four years without a title. He left with a US$1 million check and his first trophy of the year, beating Roger Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Sunday to win the Indian Wells Open for the third time.
“Not winning a title and coming here, there were certain doubts,” Djokovic said. “I had ups and downs in my concentration in opening rounds, but I managed to stay mentally strong and have that self-belief. That’s something that definitely makes this title very special to me.”
Federer rallied from a break down and a 3-5 deficit in the third set to force the tiebreaker, but he made a slew of mistakes to lose the 33rd meeting between the rivals. Federer still leads the series 17-16, having beaten Djokovic in three sets in the semifinals at Dubai two weeks ago. Djokovic will remain No. 2 in the world, while Federer will rise three spots to No. 5 in the ATP Tour rankings.
Flavia Pennetta routed injured Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-1 of Poland to win the women’s title.
The Italian veteran’s ranking plunged to 166th in the world in June, and she had struggled to rebuild her career after having right wrist surgery the previous August.
“After so many years, so much work and everything, this is the moment I always waited for,” she said. “And it’s coming when you don’t expect. It was something I was waiting since long time, and finally I have a good trophy in my hands.”
Actually, the crystal trophy was so heavy, she didn’t hoist it for photographers. The 32-year-old Italian became the third-oldest winner of the tournament after Martina Navratilova, who won at age 33 and again at 34 in 1990-91. It was Pennetta’s first title since winning at Marbella in 2010.
“We are old, but we still good athletes,” Pennetta said. “We are strong. We have so many years on the tour, and we know how to handle the emotion and everything.”
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