Nadal Beats Back Time, Alcaraz to Reach Indian Wells Final 

The present has spoken: the future must wait. 

35-year-old Rafael Nadal swatted back the best offerings of teenage wunderkind Carlos Alcaraz on a blustery day at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to remain flawless in 2022 at 20-0. 

On Sunday, Nadal will bid to become the oldest men’s singles champion in BNP Paribas Open history, when he faces home hope Taylor Fritz in the final.

The Spaniard relished in his triumph after the match, reminding fans of the struggles he had to endure in the back half of 2021, when he was forced to shut down his season with a left foot injury. 

“Since the beginning of the season it has been amazing all the things that have happened,” Nadal said. “A couple of months ago I didn’t know if I would be able to play professional tennis again, and here I am after a month and a half enjoying every single day.” 

Unmatched 👏#IndianWells | @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/TRhfSyASvB

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 20, 2022

Nadal and Alcaraz didn’t just battle one another for three hours and 13 minutes. They also battled gusts of wind that sent the flags fluttering and hats flying in a packed stadium 1. 

How much did Alcaraz push Nadal over the course of the scintillating encounter? 

“It’s impossible to be under control against a player like him,” Nadal said on court after the match.

Somehow, the 21-time Grand Slam champion found a way, in spite of it all. 

Plenty will be at stake in Sunday’s final – Nadal will bid to become the oldest champion in tournament history; Fritz will attempt to become the first American man to claim the Indian Wells title since Andre Agassi in 2001. 

It's going down 🍿

🇪🇸 @RafaelNadal vs. @Taylor_Fritz97 🇺🇸#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/P1dKOSooLu

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 20, 2022

And there was plenty to be celebrated on Saturday night, regardless of what happens in the final. 

The 17-year age difference between Nadal and Alcaraz was the largest ever in a semifinal at Indian Wells, and the all-time Grand Slam title leader put his wisdom to work as he navigated an early deficit in set one and tricky gusts of wind in the second set that swirled violently inside Stadium 1 on Saturday afternoon. 

The winds, which clocked in upwards of 40 MPH, began to wreak havoc midway through the second set. With constant interruptions from debris blowing across the court, both players struggled to find any semblance of their best tennis, but it was Alcaraz who found a way to navigate his way through the middle set. He survived a 20-minute ninth game, breaking Nadal on his seventh break point with a soaring lob that landed just inside the baseline to give him a 5-4 lead. 

Alcaraz converted his third set point in the next game to level at a set apiece, the clock showing two hours and 24 minutes of elapsed time. 

The wind died down some in the third set, allowing the players the opportunity to uncork their vintage tennis, and neither disappointed.

At 3-3 in the third set both players had drawn their lines in the sand, each producing shotmaking excellence under pressure to keep the set level through the first six games. 

Alcaraz, perched on the precipice of a major upset and his biggest career win, earned three break points with Nadal serving at 2-2. Nadal used the forehand up the line to great effect on the first two and cracked a winning slice serve that handcuffed Alcaraz on the third to escape trouble.

Three games later the cat-like quickness of Nadal led to a textbook volley in the open court for a break. He was in control at 5-3 and kept his foot on the gas, holding to love to close out a satisfying victory as the crowd erupted. 

“Mentally I was there the whole time,” Nadal said. “I think I fought. I believed, facing some very difficult situations during the match. Anything could have happened but I am in the final and it means a lot to me.”