INDIAN WELLS 2022 - WEEK 2 March 15-20, 2022

We Stand With Ukraine🙏

The first week of Indian Wells - "The Seeds of Wrath" - a substantial number of top-seeded men and women fell early.  

So let's get to Week 2 - ATP R16 and WTA Quarterfinals with week two's survivors👇 

Indian Well Village Deli Bus

WTA FINAL 8 - QUARTERFINALS

(Rou) Simona Halep (24) v. (Cro) Petra Martic

(Pol) Iga Swiatek  (3) v. (USA) Madison Keys (25)

(Esp) Paula Badosa (5) v. (Rus) Veronika Kudermetova (21)

(Gre) Maria Sakkari (6) v. (Kaz) Elena Rybakina (17)

Fallen in 1st week:  Aryna Sabalenka (2), Anett Kontaveit (4), Karolina Pliskova (7), Garbine Muguruza (8), Jelena Ostapenko (10), Emma Raducanu (11), Elina Svitolina (12), Victoria Azarenka (13), Jessica Pegula (14), Cori Gauff (16) and Naomi Osaka, unseeded but the headliner of the first week's drama👇

WTA Drama Highlight 1st Week

(l) Naomi Osaka - Unprecedented On-Court Loser's Interview 2022
(r) Serena Williams 2001 Indian Wells Champion

Naomi Osaka has proved to be a delicate flower. The 4-time Slam champ (and 3 tour titles) has proven talented, held the WTA #1 ranking, and of late has fallen to #78, barely in the Top 100.

But her success (and subsequent fall) doesn't seem to have been beneficial to her 'mental health' or perhaps her well being. Ever since the drama of the 2021 French Open - where she refused to conduct her 'mandatory media assignments' (fined for failing to conduct post-match pressers and withdrew after R1), she has been quite vocal about her own mental health. She's not crazy, she's fragile. She's made millions of dollars on tour and through brand ambassadorships and endorsements. She's been on a number of covers of international magazines, interviews, etc., but apparently she needs to be in control of the narrative and the random question from a sports reporter isn't something she wishes to endure. 

This past week, however, Naomi outdid herself. In Round 2 v. Veronika Kudermetova, in the very first game, a single heckler yelled out "Naomi, you suck." Naomi upon hearing it began to tear, couldn't gather herself for a minute wiping away tears, walked around, and then approached the chair asking if she could have the microphone to address the crowd/fans. The chair told her she couldn't do anything since she didn't know who did it.  Naomi was unsatisfied and didn't go back to play - while Veronika waited ... and waited. 

The chair called the supervisor, the super consulted the chair, consulted with Naomi, and then the super went back to the chair telling her if they find the heckler he/she will be ejected. The whole brouhaha took over 10 min on changeover between the 1st and 2nd games. During the Match there was no resolution to the  Naomi & the Microphone drama - no, she didn't get the microphone during the Match and suffered an embarrassing SS loss - 6-0 6-4 - taking a little over an hour.

But, Naomi, not to be denied an opportunity to get her thoughts across to a crowd, without reporters asking tough or simple questions, did get the microphone for an unprecedented loser's, post-match, on-court speech. Again Veronika Kudermetova waited ... and waited. Osaka compared her experience to what Serena and Venus experienced in the Williams' 2001 Indian Wells competition - it seems she compared the explicit racism and anti-Williams' resentment toward the sisters and their father, Richard Williams, after Venus withdrew from the SF and Serena went on to win the Final v. Kim Clijsters to last Saturday's one random heckler yelling "you suck." Serena sucked it up. Naomi blew it out. It took Serena and Venus over 15 years to return to Indian Wells after boycotting their treatment that March in 2001. 

To Naomi, however, the single heckler's 'you suck' is comparable to what the Williams' experienced in 2001 and she said it 'replays in my head on loop' - a 21-year-old video of the Williams sisters (Naomi was 3) = "you suck" from one heckler in 2022. Alrighty then. Pete Bodo wrote an article recapping the aftermath in tennis.com. He says that tennis fans have a relationship as fans with tennis players - they pay, players perform. And to paraphrase Bodo, what fans pay for isn't a drama - "it isn't an interpretation of Hamlet." 

Last Saturday Naomi Osaka gave a fairly unconvincing performance as Queen Gertrude in Hamlet: "Gertrude suffered virulent verbal abuse ... her true character is seldom recognized. However, Shakespeare instilled in Gertrude more complexity than simple analysis might yield." Thus, this may be true of Naomi - although a single utterance of 'you suck' should be considered 'virulent verbal abuse' there's little doubt that Osaka is incredibly more complex than any analysis might yield. Or every analysis to date reveals that she isn't complex at all - she's simply pampered and thin-skinned. Time and fans will tell. 

"To be, or not to be: that is the question: 

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against the sea of troubles,

And by opposing - end them?"

Perhaps, eventually, Naomi will toughen up and play again. She's shown more than capable of playing great tennis. But for now, "Goodnight sweet princess" - Tennis is a sport - "'tis a sport to have the engineer hoist with her own petard." Naomi may have fallen, too, on her own petard.

Larry Ellison's $43M Rancho Mirage Estate
(15 min. to Indian Wells Tennis Gardens, which he owns too)

ATP ROUND OF 16

(ITA) Matteo Berrettini (6) v. (SRB) Miomir Kecmanovic

(USA) Taylor Fritz v. ((AUS) Alex De Minaur (29)

(ESP) Rafa Nadal (4) v. (USA) Reilly Opelka (17)

(ITA) Jannik Sinner (10) v. (AUS) Nick Kyrgios

(USA) John Isner (23) v. (BUL) Grigor Dimitrov

(RUS) Andrey Rublev v. (POL) Hubert Hurkacz (11)

(FRA) Gael Monfils v. (ESP) Carlos Alcaraz (19)

(GRB) Cameron Norrie (12) v. (USA) Jenson Brooksby

Fallen Seeds: (1) Daniil Medvedev, (3) Alexander Zverev, (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas, (8) Casper Ruud, (9) Felix Auger-Aliassime, (13) Denis Shapovalov, (14) Diego Schwartzman, (15) Roberto Bautista Agut, (16) Pablo Carreno Busta, (18) Nikolaz Basilashvili.

ATP Drama Highlight 1st Week

A less-than sporty Stefanos Tsitsipas lost to Jenson Brooksby in the 3rd round. Nonplussed by Brooksby, in his post-match presser Tsitsipas said of Jenson that he basically has nothing special other than getting the ball back on court. If not poor form, poor choice of words, how about sour grapes - yes, Tsitsipas acted like a Greek salad - all feta cheese and sour grapes.  Do Better Stefanos - you got beat by a young, very good player. Remember Stef when you were a young, very good player on the rise?  

Yeah, not sure you do. And while you're at it, your Daddy, tell him mama told him not to come😎

SINGLES DRAW

DOUBLES DRAW

OOP