In the women’s final, the young Polish Iga Swiatek was proclaimed champion against the Greek Maria Sakkari and secured her jump to number two in the world ranking.
Nadal’s resurrection, down for much of 2021 due to his chronic foot injury, suffered an unusual first setback on Sunday when he fell 6-3 and 7-6 (7/5) against Fritz, a debutant in a Masters 1000 final .
After winning the Australian Open and becoming the male tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles (21), Nadal also starred in epic victories on his tour of Indian Wells, determined to lift a fourth trophy at 35 years old.
In the final against Fritz, also with an ankle limp, the Spaniard rebelled against defeat for two hours in which he struggled against the strong wind and the pain he suffered in his chest.
“It is a type of pain that limited me a lot because it also affects my breathing,” he later described.
“When I breathe, when I move, it’s like a needle all the time in here,” he said, pointing to his chest. “I don’t know what it is yet.”
Nadal began to suffer from these problems on Saturday night towards the end of his three-hour battle against his young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
With no time for a review, Nadal returned less than 20 hours later for the final, in which he battled to within two points of forcing a third set.
Fritz, the first American to win in the Californian desert since Andre Agassi in 2001, also arrived with problems from a sprained right ankle suffered in the semi-final against Andrey Rublev.
“When I walked onto the court to warm up I made an attempt and literally screamed. I tried twice more. Both times I had the worst pain imaginable. I was almost in tears because I thought I was going to have to retire,” she recalled.
After receiving treatment, the tennis player from San Diego said he managed to compete in the final without too many limitations.
On an emotional roller coaster, Fritz ended up celebrating his biggest win 100 miles from home and against the player he saw dominate tennis as a child.
“It’s crazy to even be on the same court with people like Nadal or Roger (Federer), let alone be able to beat one of them, to win such an important tournament and do it here in Indian Wells. It is a combination of crazy things that I never thought possible, ”he assured.
– “I wanted to make it perfect” –
Between versions that he could announce his retirement, and 16,000 fans waiting for his ankle, Fritz surprised everyone with an unbeatable start to the match.
The Californian advanced 5-1 in the first set with two Nadal breaks and two loveless games on his serve, while the Spaniard looked unrecognizable on court.
After losing the first set 6-3, Nadal went to the locker room accompanied by the physiotherapist and pointing to his chest.
The Spaniard came back doing exercises to stretch his body but he continued to show visible problems when executing certain shots, especially the backhand.
After one of his errors, Nadal shouted several times to cheer himself up and reacted by breaking Fritz, but the American had raised his game and his confidence.
The clash was decided in a heart-stopping tie-break in which Nadal was placed 4-5 and wasted a clear volley in the net that allowed Fritz to be the first to bring him down this year.
Despite the disappointment of seeing his season start streak cut short, second only to Novak Djokovic in the ATP, Nadal said he will try to recover as soon as possible to start the clay court tournaments, which include Roland Garros.
“I wanted to make it perfect before the clay. It would have been very, very nice,” she stated. “But now is the time to try to solve this problem as soon as possible and try to start with the clay (…) I am enjoying things that a few months ago I did not think I would be able to experience again.”
– Swiatek, champion and new world number 2 –
In the women’s final, the young Polish Iga Swiatek defeated the Greek Maria Sakkari 6-4 and 6-1 and confirmed herself as one of the great ascending figures of the circuit.
At 20 years old, Swiatek adds the fifth title of her career, the second WTA 1000 this year after Doha, and succeeds the Spanish Paula Badosa in the Indian Wells record.
“I am really overwhelmed. I didn’t think I was ready to play two tournaments in a row and win them”, the tennis player from Warsaw congratulated.
For the 26-year-old Sakkari, it was the first major final of his career after falling in the 2021 semi-finals at Roland Garros and the US Open.
The duel also defined which of the two finalists unseated the Czech Barbora Krejcikova at number two in the world ranking.
“I feel that getting number one is getting closer,” Swiatek said, spotting the lead of Australian Ashleigh Barty, who gave up competing in Indian Wells.
