Rafael Nadalwho fly from Acapulco to Indian Wells to prepare for the first Masters 1,000 on the calendar, which begins in March, has a double attraction in the Coachella Valley: add the fourth title of the course and extend his undefeated streak to 21 games.
If successful, Nadal would improve the best start to the season of two other racket legends like Pete Sampras and Roger Federer since the creation of the ATP circuit in 1990. Both stayed at 17 wins without failure, in 1997 and 2018, respectively.
Sampras was stopped by Bohdan Ulihrach in the second round at Indian Wells. For his part, Federer saw his streak interrupted four seasons ago also in the Californian desert. In his case, the Argentine Juan Martn Del Potro stopped him.
Novak Djokovic holds the record for the best start to a campaign. And it is that in 2011 he signed a 41-0 before losing in the semifinals of Roland Garros with Federer. The Serb also holds the second mark, which was 26-0 in 2020.
The best starts to the season since the creation of the ATP circuit in 1990
1. Nova Djokovic 41-0 2011
2. Novak Djokovic 26-0 2020
3. Novak Djokovic 17-0 2013
4. Pete Sampras 17-0 1997
5. Roger Federer 17-0 2018
