By Douglas Holtz-Eakin
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Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Rafael Nadal arrived at Indian Wells not believing he could win the tournament. A week later, the crystal trophy awarded to the champion was on the table next to him.
Nadal improved to a career-best 17-1 on the year, including 14 straight match wins. He's won three titles — two on clay while runner-up in another on his favorite surface — since returning from a left knee injury.
Del Potro snapped his own four-match skid against Djokovic, who had beaten the Argentine in eight of 10 career meetings.
Four-time winner Roger Federer and top-ranked Victoria Azarenka will defend their titles at the BNP Paribas Open in March, with the deep fields also including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova.
Serena Williams is out of the Australian Open after losing her quarterfinal match 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to 19-year-old American Sloane Stephens on Wednesday.
The top seed stayed clothed after beating Tomas Berdych 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Tuesday to reach the semifinals in about half the time it took him to win his previous match against Stanislas Wawrinka, which prompted a shirt-ripping celebration.
Roger Federer is skipping Switzerland's Davis Cup match against the defending champion Czech Republic next month.
Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams are in the same half of the draw at the Australian Open, setting up the possibility of a semifinal match between the defending champion and the title favorite.
Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams are in the same half of the draw at the Australian Open, setting up the possibility of a semifinal match between the defending champion and the title favorite.
Sixth-ranked Czech player Tomas Berdych heads a strong field that includes four top-20 players in the Chennai Open that starts on Monday.
It's a job for two when the Czechs win Davis Cup finals.
David Ferrer kept alive Spain's hopes of winning a fourth Davis Cup title in five years by beating Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in the first reverse singles match Sunday to even the final at 2-2.
The Czech Republic won the doubles Saturday to take a 2-1 lead over defending champion Spain in the Davis Cup final, moving one victory away from its first title as an independent nation.
Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic will play David Ferrer of Spain in in the opening singles match of the 100th Davis Cup final.
With Rafael Nadal sidelined with an injury, the Czech Republic team hopes to complete a rare double this weekend when it takes on defending champion Spain in the 100th Davis Cup final.
"Even if you practiced a lot at home, that was not my case, you need to compete to feel 100 percent ready," he said. "You need to compete to feel quick, recover the right vision of the points and the nice reaction in every moment."
"When it was 5-3 since that time I serve only one first serve and he serve only one second serve," Berdych said. "Actually, that was the difference."
Juan Martin del Potro upsets Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells →
