Health & Fitness

Americans Look to Break Through at Indian Wells

The U.S. has lacked tennis prowess post-Sampras and Agassi, but a new generation hopes to change that in Indian Wells.

Tennis has become a global game, which is truly evident by a quick glance at the ATP World Tour's top 10.

Eight countries are represented by those players, with two each from both Spain and Serbia.

Should the 2012 BNP Paribas Open men's draw follow the seeds, no American would play past the quarterfinals. Really since Pete Sampras fell from the World No. 1 ranking, the U.S. has been largely irrelevant in men's tennis.

Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A new generation of U.S. players is hoping to break through in the California desert.

The highest ranked American, No. 8 Mardy Fish, is looking to get his season on track. Fish is just 3-3 in 2012 and suffered a bad second round loss at the Australian Open.

Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

No. 31 Andy Roddick, the last American to win a major (2003 U.S. Open), has a favorable draw to make a run, boasting a 6-3 match advantage over likely third round opponent No. 7 Tomas Berdych. But Roddick has 4-4 record and has not made it past the quarters in the young season.

American John Isner may have the best chance to put a deep BNP Open run together. Isner, ranked No. 11, boosts a 9-4 record in 2012, including a head-to-head win over Roger Federer in the Davis Cup. 

Still, men's tennis is about who sits at the top, and fans are experiencing a golden age.

Defending champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the favorite in every tournament he enters, but Djoker will likely be pushed by No. 4 Andy Murray and either No. 2 Rafa Nadal or No. 3 Roger Federer when finals weekend arrives.

Federer is up against arguably the trickiest quarter, which includes four of the ATP's tour top five match wins leaders this season: David Ferrer (18), Federer (16), Juan Martin del Potro (16) and Milos Raonic (15).

The Nadal-Federer rivalry has yet to be played in the desert, but I believe that will change this year. However, it's hard to imagine that history will not repeat itself with the 2012 men's final mirroring the 2011 final.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here