INDIAN WELLS: Red-hot Rafa Nadal will be the man to beat when Indian Wells kicks off this week while Naomi Osaka will look to begin her ascent back to the top of the tennis world at the tournament that launched her career.
Nadal's season was cut short last year due to a foot injury but the Spaniard has come roaring out of the gates in 2022, winning January's Australian Open for a men's record 21st Grand Slam title.
He followed that up by winning his fourth title in Acapulco last month and has not lost in 15 matches this season.
"Rafa Nadal is now 35-years-old and he's never had a start to the season like this one," Indian Wells tournament director and former player Tommy Haas said on a recent podcast.
"He's the guy to beat here, there's no doubt about it. And he obviously enjoys it here very much," Haas said of Nadal, who has won the Masters 1000 tournament three times.
As a bonus, while in the Southern California desert, Nadal will stay at tournament owner and billionaire Larry Ellison's private resort, Porcupine Creek Golf Club.
"He can play 18 to 36 holes of golf every day if he wants to," Haas said.
"He likes it there and wants to stay for as long as he can. If he's healthy, watch out."
While rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will not be at the tournament, the Serb because he is barred from entry into the country due to his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine and the Swiss because he is still recovering from knee surgery, a cadre of emerging stars will be eager to topple Nadal.
Chief among them is Daniil Medvedev, who enters a tournament as the world number one for the first time, and big-serving Andrey Rublev, who won a title in Dubai last month.
Both players are from Russia but they will not compete under the name or flag of their country, a decision handed down by tennis authorities following Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
"There are a lot of guys knocking on the door but Nadal has got to be the favourite," Haas said.
OSAKA'S RETURN
On the women's side, opportunity knocks for Naomi Osaka, who as a 20-year-old announced herself with a triumph at the WTA 1000 event in 2018.
From there she won four grand slams, became the world's highest-paid female athlete and sparked a conversation about mental health in sports.
But time away from the court after last year's U.S. Open has caused her world ranking to plummet and the former world number one is now number 78 and unseeded at the tournament.
"I've heard she's in a wonderful place, a much better space than she was last year, and that she's excited to get back out and competing," three-time grand slam champion Lindsay Davenport told Reuters.
Osaka, who fell in the third round at the Australian Open, will face an in-form Sloane Stephens in a first round blockbuster on Wednesday.
"That's a really tough one to start off with, and Osaka is going to have to be ready to go," Davenport said.
"I think she was a little disappointed with how Australia went and that she's pretty motivated, but it's going to take a lot of work."
Davenport predicted a big year for Osaka and said her powerful game translates well on grass.
"If I were on her team, I would put a focus on trying to get her to believe that she could win Wimbledon."
Osaka will not have to worry about facing world number one Ash Barty or top-ranked American Danielle Collins after both players withdrew from Indian Wells due to injury.
The tournament, which is officially called the BNP Paribas Open, returns to its March date on the calendar after being cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and being moved to October last year.
Full stands are expected at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for what is sometimes referred to as the sport's "fifth major".
Reuters
Wed Mar 09 2022
![Tennis - Nadal the man to beat, Osaka eyes return to glory at Indian Wells Tennis - Nadal the man to beat, Osaka eyes return to glory at Indian Wells](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/71646795883_TBNADALOSAKA.jpg)
Rafa Nadal will be the man to beat when Indian Wells kicks off this week while Naomi Osaka will look to begin her ascent back to the top of the tennis world at the tournament that launched her career. - REUTERS/Filepic
Impact of cloud complexity on cybersecurity risk and AI's role in this mix
Organizations who are adopting multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments are having to navigate new complexities that emerge as they expand on cloud. As these cloud environments lead to the expansion of attack surfaces, a global survey conducted by Gigamon found that 93% of IT and security leaders predict cloud security attacks will increase this year.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi Bursa Malaysia setakat 16 Julai 2024
Jumlah dagangan meningkat kepada 5.36 bilion unit bernilai RM3.95 bilion daripada 4.58 bilion unit bernilai RM3.72 bilion pada Jumaat.
[Data & Statistik] Kedudukan MYR berbanding SGD setakat 16 Julai 2024
Niaga AWANI bawakan prestasi terkini prestasi MYR berbanding SGD.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi ringgit setakat 16 Julai 2024
Ketua Ahli Ekonomi Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid berkata walaupun ringgit merosot, kontrak niaga hadapan Dana Fed menunjukkan bahawa penurunan kadar faedah mungkin akan berlaku pada September depan.
![Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41721096727_RoyalOmanPolice.jpg)
Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman
Beberapa orang turut cedera akibat terkena tembakan di sekitar masjid di Wadi al-Kabir, Muscat.
![Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/61647267418_Reconstructionofth.jpg)
Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya
Menurut Digna van Boetzelaer, kerajaan Belanda tidak pernah meminta ekstradisi mereka kerana Rusia tidak mengekstradisi rakyatnya sendiri.
E-invois dibimbangi tekan pengusaha PKS
Isu yang timbul ialah pengetahuan dan kos tinggi yang diperlukan untuk melaksanakannya, termasuk kos latihan dan penambahbaikan sistem dan perisian.
Tawaran pengambilalihan MAHB dimuktamad suku ketiga 2024 - MOF
Tawaran pengambilalihan Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) dijangka akan dimuktamadkan pada suku ketiga tahun ini dan ia perlu dipersetujui oleh sekurang-kurangnya 90 peratus pemegang saham sedia ada MAHB.
Kementerian Kewangan berkata memandangkan tawaran itu merupakan satu urusan transaksi komersial, maka ia tidak mendatangkan sebarang implikasi kewangan kepada kerajaan.
Kementerian Kewangan berkata memandangkan tawaran itu merupakan satu urusan transaksi komersial, maka ia tidak mendatangkan sebarang implikasi kewangan kepada kerajaan.
![[KOLUMNIS] Masa depan industri perhubungan awam: Memperkukuh kepercayaan, keterlibatan melalui integriti, inovasi [KOLUMNIS] Masa depan industri perhubungan awam: Memperkukuh kepercayaan, keterlibatan melalui integriti, inovasi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721096314_MohdSaidBaniCM.jpg)
[KOLUMNIS] Masa depan industri perhubungan awam: Memperkukuh kepercayaan, keterlibatan melalui integriti, inovasi
Dengan sokongan tiga pertubuhan utama, ekosistem ini hadapi cabaran signifikan, namun berpotensi besar untuk berkembang dan berinovasi.
Jiwa SME: Kejayaan lebih 30 tahun dalam industri penternakan kambing
Osman Goat Farm, yang dimiliki oleh Osman Cheya Kutty dari Johor Bahru, telah bertahan lebih dari tiga dekad dalam industri penternakan. Dengan dedikasi dan inovasi, Osman Goat Farm telah membuktikan bahawa kesungguhan dan strategi yang tepat adalah kunci kejayaan dalam industri penternakan. Produk berkualiti tinggi dan teknologi terkini terus menjadi asas kepada kejayaan.