Love, 40
It was the gold rush that earned California its nickname, the Golden State. Out of nowhere, this state would become one of the prominent states in America. It was no coincidence, then, that the rise of the popularity of tennis in this side of the US would be similar to the discovery of gold during the turn of the nineteenth century. A number student volunteer groups rose through the years, teaching youngsters the basics of tennis, as well as the virtues of discipline and teamwork. In turn, this would build up their confidence, which would help them during adulthood.
These students, as well as older tennis fans, have something to look forward to during this time of the year, as the Indian Wells Masters goes underway.
The tournament was founded by Charlie Pasarell and Raymond Moore, both former professional tennis players, in 1974. The venue is located in Coachella Valley, about one hundred twenty five miles east of downtown Los Angeles. On the men's side, it was considered a prestigious tournament, being part of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour. The women's side began twenty five years after the men's. The tourney changed names many times, such that at one point, it was done to honor Chris Evert, winner of eighteen Grand Slam singles titles. In 1996, the championship became a fully-combined event in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tours, prompting many to dub it the Grand Slam of the West. It also didn't take long to achieve its status of being the most-attended tennis tournament of the world outside of the four majors, namely the Australian Open, the French Open, the Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open.
Roger Federer have the greatest success in this tournament, winning the men's singles title in four occasions. No female player have won four times, even thrice, but a handful have been victorious twice. (Martina Navratilova, Mary Joe Fernandez, Steffi Graf, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Daniela Hantuchova, and Maria Sharapova.)
Last year, Rafael Nadal won this third (Indian Wells Masters) title, beating Argentina's Juan Marin del Potro in three sets. But he was unsuccessful in his title defense, losing in the third round to Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov. On the women's side, Sharapova hoisted the trophy, her second, with a straight-set win over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki the previous year. She didn't fare well this year, as she was bounced out in the third round as well. This year's edition of the tournament provided a number of surprises: Victoria Azarenka, the 2012 champion, lost her opening match; Andy Murray, the reigning Wimbledon titlist, beaten by Canada's Milos Raonic; and Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, the current Australian Open champion, toppled by South Africa's Kevin Anderson. (It was his first loss of the year.)
Novak Djokovic is still in contention, as he chases his third title. So does Roger Federer, who can set another record (by winning his fifth title). At thirty two years of age, the Swiss Maestro is still hungry and competitive. He's a role for the younger players on the tour, on how to stay in the game for a long time. Ditto for students, on what perseverance can do.
