Force of Nature

Once again, can I ask why Roger Federer has such a problem with Andy Murray? Because Rafael Nadal certainly doesn't have one.

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Jesus, 6-1 6-2 in the final of a major tournament, over a player who is ranked #4 (and really should be #3). Rafa is actually scary. I fear him. I maintain that Federer has the better game on the whole, but Rafa deserves to be #1 at the moment. He is an absolute machine.

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I don't know what more I can say about the Rafa/Muzza match, on account of I didn't actually see it and am judging by the stats. No aces in the whole match. Rafa served beautifully and that appears to be the difference - he didn't face any break points and won 81% of the time on his first serve. He also made huge inroads into the Murray second serve and won 61% of the total points, which is a LOT. Basically, he smashed him like a guitar.

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I think Rafa has learned a lot since Murray defeated him in the US Open final, and even since Abu Dhabi. He's like this unstoppable force of nature at the moment. The only player capable of stopping him is Federer - certainly he's the only one with the weapons - but his head is on some other planet. It'd be a fool who'd bet against Rafa in pretty much any tournament leading up to Roland Garros. He is actually frightening.

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Oh, and although my pick for the women, Ana Ivanovic, lost the final, I think just getting to the final is a satisfactory result for her at the moment. However, she just dismantled pretty effectively by Vera Zvonareva, who has less than half her weapons, so there's still work to be done. Actually, there's work to be done for the whole women's field. If Vera Zvonareva is winning tournaments - not that she isn't good, but she doesn't have the weapons that other players have - then something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

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Today's Results

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BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Andy Murray, 6-1 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Vera Zvonareva def. Ana Ivanovic, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2