What a week it was in Indian Wells, California for TheATPBlog.com. We enjoyed bringing all of our fans comprehensive coverage from the first masters series event in Palm Springs. One of the most fantastic tennis venues on the planet, did not disappoint as there was scintillating tennis from day one. The Pacific Life Open proved once again that in the up and down sport that is professional tennis, being ranked 98 in the world could very well mean a deep run in the desert. As the surprise of the year really in regards to the caliber of player, Mardy Fish disposed of Igor Indreev, Nikolay Davydenko, Lleyton Hewitt, David Nalbandian and Roger Federer en route to the finals.

A great week Mardy, and the tournament of your life. Unfortunately, it was not enough for a championship effort as the powerful Djokovic took out Fish in 3 sets. Mardy put up a valiant effort as he broke back and prevailed in set 2. However, Fish lost the match as he had 0-40 in the opening game of set 3 against the Djokovic serve and could not convert. Novak saved that game with 3 straight aces and showed his champions heart in holding and going on the take the set and match 6-3.

Although, Federer and Nadal did lose in the semi finals, the fab 3, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic all lived up to their seedlings by advancing to the semi-finals. They were joined by above mentioned surprise forth semi-finalist Mardy Fish. I have never been a big fan of Mardy as his game and fitness have never given me the impression that he could be a top player. He temporarily put those allegations to rest with his powerful serving display and uncharacteristic-consistency off the ground that he had all week.

Indian Wells, provided many answers as to how the top 3 players in the world were dealing with the pressures of points that had to be defended as well as points that had to be made during this crucial time of year. I honestly did not think Djokovic would make it as far as he did. But watching him play Philipp Kohlschreiber in the 3rd round I was very impressed with his current level and his desire to win. It will be interesting to see how he holds up in Miami next week, as he is the defending champion and has 500 points to defend.

It was also a great tournament for Rafa Nadal as he progressed deep in the tournament as well as beating a few players that had given him trouble in the past. Nadal took care of James Blake who he had never beaten in 3 previous meetings in the quarter finals, as well as getting revenge over Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga, who beaten Nadal at the Aussie Open earlier this year.

A great tourney for Roger Federer as well. His recent woes seem to be behind him, as I saw great things from him in the early rounds in terms of movement and serve placement. R-Fed, seems to have be back on track to start racking up tour titles on a consistent basis again. His calm and cool demeanor was ever present in the desert, and when he is feeling that relaxed and confident its bad news for the other players. It remains to be seen if his bad loss to Mardy Fish in the semi-finals will effect him for the up coming masters event in Miami as well as the claycourt season. The most positive factor for R-Fed during the week was that he did pick up 220 points over what he earned in Indian Wells last year.

On a closing note I would like to encourage everyone who has not been to the Indian Wells tournament to try and attend it next year. It truly is the tennis gardens as it is referred to. Fans can get really close to their heroes on the practice courts and there is not a bad seat in the house in 16000 seat center court. The ambiance of the facility is great, with mountains over looking ever court. The food is also fantastic with a variety of choices to keep your taste buds interested. There is also shuttle service to and from your hotel, which is provided every hour and even until an hour after the last match of the day. Please check back as we will have a comprehensive photo and video gallery of that Indian Wells tournament. As well, the masters series Miami preview will be up in a few days, when the draw is released. Miami should provide another great tournament filled with great tennis and great weather for the lucky fans in Key Biscayne.

Technorati Tags: David Nalbandian, Igor Indreev, Indian Wells, Lleyton Hewitt, Mardy Fish, Miami Masters, Nokolay Davydenko, Pacific Life Open, Philipp Kohschreiber, Rafeal Nadal, Roger Federer, Tennis Gardens

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