Indian Wells highlighted the two winners and Kyrgios, but there is no shortage of doubts about the former world number 1 and the Greek. Will the second Masters 1000 bring new confirmations?
Indian Wells 2022 went to the archive and between surprises and confirmations, there was no shortage of joys and sorrows for fans and professionals. Yes, but who were the protagonists, positively and negatively, of the first 1000 of the season, by far one of the most loved by the players? What can we expect for the big names on the pitch in Miami?
Growing
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Taylor Fritz – Too easy, that’s right. Twenty-one years after Agassi, an American returns to win in the Californian desert. Obviously, no comparison between the two, but not bad really. And he does it by playing a really great tournament. The 24-year-old son of art (his mother, Kathy May, ex n.10 Wta, dad Henry ex n.301 Atp), confirmed the good things done at the end of last year and in general from his “rebirth” after the knee injury, divorce, Jordan’s birth and the engagement with the (discussed) but beautiful influencer Morgan Riddle, who tells the life of the tour alongside Taylor: not all colleagues like this thing. Beating Nadal (bruised, ok, but he too was not at the top), in the final, is not something for everyone. It’s one to keep an eye on, Taylor, because he plays really well at tennis and is confident.
Iga Swiatek – Tournament dominated from the quarterfinals onwards, with a final (against Sakkari) won in ease. Really pay attention to this Pole, that she is not even 21 years old (she turns them in May) but she already has a slam in her pocket (Roland Garros 2020) and many tournaments of a certain level. With the sudden and sensational withdrawal of Barty, she will be the new n.1 in the world. Are you ready? Who knows. Ivanovic, after the withdrawal of Henin, could not stand the pressure, just to name a case like this.
Nick Kyrgios – Welcome back from the bottom of the heart. It’s always nice to see Nick when he decides (rarely, alas) to be a tennis player. Great tournament for him, with an excellent scalp (his not really friend Ruud) and a victory of great value close to Rafa Nadal, losing a match that could have brought home. But you know, the player is on the conflict with himself. Now there is Miami, where fans have fond memories of a crazy semi-final match against Roger Federer in 2017. Will Nick be able to repeat himself at that level five years later?
Downhill
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Daniil Medvedev – The former world number one, defeated in California by Gael Monfils, is not having a good time, and it is not only because of the repercussions of the war between his country, Russia, and Ukraine. Undoubtedly what is happening certainly does not help him, but Medvedev is not completely convincing from before. The Australian Open beating against Nadal, from two sets above, clearly left its mark. It had to be his beginning of the season, on the surface of him (the concrete): it wasn’t like that. Let’s see what he can do in Miami. He wants to take back the throne: after all, his reign didn’t last that long….
Maria Sakkari- Is it possible to put among the disappointments of the tournament a tennis player who has made the final anyway and who has become fresh No. 3 in the world, indeed No. 2 if we consider Barty’s even fresher retirement? Yes. You have to. Don’t get me wrong: Maria is a fabulous player, a true racket representative of Achaeans and Trojans. Except in the finals. Four finals out of five lost (Indian Wells, St. Petersburg, Ostrava and San José, the only one won in Rabat in 2019), nine semi-finals out of 18 and two in the slams. Let’s say that when the highlight comes, Maria doesn’t seem to have Achilles’ temper in battle.
Stefanos Tsitsipas – The Greek must decide what he wants to do when he grows up. After the final lost at Roland Garros with Djokovic it was a continuous descent, with some peaks just to like (the Australian Open semifinal lost with Medvedev), but in general nothing really exciting. He had his physical troubles (elbow), but he still seems to be the distant relative of the player he enchanted until a year ago. After Miami, the long season on clay begins, where he really has many points to defend: either he recovers or he could get a bad collapse even in the standings.
March 23, 2022 (change March 23, 2022 | 18:59)
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