Nadal: Three in a Row!

Rafa Nadal wins the BNP Paribas Masters at Indian Wells, beating Juan Martin Del Potro in three sets. This win was significant on many levels:

• This marks Nadal's third title in a row, after Brazil and Mexico. It's also his fourth final in a row. He is now riding a 14 match winning streak.
• He wins the first hardcourt tournament he plays after his 7 month tennis hiatus due to injury. It was the first time he played on a hardcourt in almost a year and he wins it. It is also his first hardcourt title since 2010.
• In 2009, he lost to Del Potro three straight times, all on hard courts.
• He beat Roger Federer en route to the title. He also defeated Ernests Gulbis who was enjoying a 13-match winning streak and an in-form Thomas Berdych.
• Rafa nudges ahead of Roger Federer, now becoming the lone record-holder for the most number of Masters 1000 titles with 22.

I was worried about how Rafa would do after his 7-month break from tennis, but with a couple of claycourt titles and now a hardcourt Masters title, Nadal has shown everyone that he is back to his pre-injury form. His 2013 results must be really good for his confidence leading into the claycourt season. He will certainly need all the confidence he can get as he will most likely go into these tournaments ranked #5, which means he may meet any of the top 3 (Novak, Roger, and Andy) in the quarterfinals. Congratulations, Rafa!