Indian Wells, dubbed the ‘fifth Grand Slam’ by many, is one of the most prestigious tournaments in all of tennis.
Being an ATP Masters 1000 event, it is also one of the hardest to win, and it was a particularly difficult title to capture during the ‘big three’ era.
Between 2004 and 2017, 13 of the 14 editions of the Indian Wells Open were won by either Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.
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The one occasion during that time period where none of them managed to go all the way came back in 2010, when Ivan Ljubicic got his hands on a maiden Masters trophy.
Ljubicic, who went on to coach Federer after retiring from professional tennis, put together one of the most incredible runs that year.
Ivan Ljubicic’s incredible campaign at the 2010 Indian Wells Open
After coming through both of his first two matches in straight sets, Ljubicic was faced with Djokovic in the fourth round.
The Croat was on a five-match losing streak to Djokovic, but he finally snapped it in ‘Tennis Paradise’, overcoming the Serb 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Ljubicic came back from a set down in his last-eight clash with Argentine Juan Monaco to set up a semifinal meeting with Nadal.
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Nadal drew first blood in the final-four showdown, but Ljubicic completed another comeback and beat the Spaniard for just the second time in his career.
In the final, Ljubicic went toe-to-toe with seventh seed Andy Roddick, who had only dropped one set throughout the tournament prior to the championship match.
To cap off an extraordinary run, Ljubicic defeated the American, triumphing in two consecutive tiebreaks, 7-6, 7-6 to pick up his first and only Masters crown.
Ivan Ljubicic’s reaction to winning Indian Wells in 2010
In his post-tournament press conference, Ljubicic said: “I mean, looking at my career, you know, in general, I did feel like, you know, I was missing it (a Masters title).
“It’s a really fantastic feeling to finally have it. You know, it gives something special to your career.
“You know, it’s just another thing that after Davis Cup, Olympic medal and two top 10 finishes, one top 5 finish and now in Masters 1000, as well, so it makes everything look — I mean, looking better actually.”
Ljubicic won a total of 10 titles during his playing days and reached a career-high ranking of third in the world.
He also picked up a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
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