Raise the trophy on wounded knee: Nadal triumphs at Indian Wells

Nadal changed tactics and wore down DelPo

FROM THE BNP PARIBAS OPEN AT INDIAN WELLS – It wasn’t supposed to be this way for Rafael Nadal, but was it. Seven months of hell with his knee, rehabbing daily, unsure how it would respond, losing his rhythm, his timing, and his confidence.

He came back in Vina Del Mar at the start of February and looked at best mediocre. In the final there, Horacio Zeballos scalded him in the third set and he looked slow. But no matter, he trudged onto to Sao Paolo where on a super quick indoor court he throttled David Nalbandian in the final. He felt better, but his knee was still sore. He took a week off and then headed to Acapulco, where his movement began to improve a great deal, he gleefully slid around and he bullied compatriots Nicolas Almagro and David Ferrer to win the title

But when he arrived in the California desert, he had his doubts. During his first few days at Indian Wells he spent a fair amount of time criticizing the ATP