Tennis greats who could never conquer Indian Wells known as fifth Grand Slam

The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, known as the fifth Grand Slam, has been a scene of glory for legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams. However, for some of the best, the tournament was always an elusive dream. Below we review 5 male and female stars who were never able to lift the desert trophy.

The former number 1 and figure of the 80's, Ivan Lendl, marked a before and after in the Tour. He dominated the circuit winning 94 titles (8 Grand Slams), however one of his greatest thorns was precisely the Indian Wells Masters. His career in the tournament was always truncated even before the final, losing against Yannick Noah in the quarterfinals in 1982, and against José Higueras in 1983.

Stanimal is one of the few tennis players who managed to win more than one major in the era dominated by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. In detail, Wawrinka won Australia, Roland Garros and the US Open between 2014 and 2016. Still, the Swiss, owner of a prodigious one-handed backhand, was never able to take the title in Indian Wells. His best result was the runner-up in 2017, where he lost in straight sets to his compatriot, Roger Federer.

Briton Andy Murray was a problem for the Big 3 throughout his career. Winner of 3 major titles and former world number 1, the current coach of Novak Djokovic was never able to lift the trophy in the desert. His best result was reaching the 2009 final, where he would fall categorically against Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-2. Injuries in his back played a fundamental role in stopping his success. Murray also emerges as a two-time Olympic champion and is often considered the fourth in contention in the Big Three era.

The Russian, winner of two Grand Slam titles (Australia and the US Open) and Davis Cup champion (2006) is another of the top players who missed out on being the best at the fifth Slam. Owner of a devastating serve and an aggressive style of play from the baseline, Safin, despite reaching the top of the ranking, had to settle for advancing to the fourth round of the tournament in 2006.

American Andy Roddick is another member of this list. Despite being a local player, having been number 1 in the world and shouting champion in the US Open, for A-Rod the Indian Wells Masters could not be. His best result was the 2010 final, where he lost by double 7-6 to Croatian Ivan Ljubicic. It is important to note that to date, Roddick is the last American to win a major. Despite having won all the other Masters in the continent (Canada, Cincinnati and Miami), the former No. 1 was unable to win in California.

On the ladies' side, we can find that there is no clear dominance of any of the top players. Legends such as Navratilova. Graf and Serena Williams herself only won the event twice. The same for former current world number 1, Iga Swiatek.

Among the most important players who were never able to win the title in the Californian masters we find:

The eldest of the Williams sisters, former world No. 1 and winner of 7 Grand Slam titles (5 times Wimbledon and 2 times US Open), was unable to translate her success in majors to conquer the fifth major tournament. Recently, it was announced that Venus, at 44, had accepted an invitation to participate in the 2025 edition of Indian Wells. However, she later declined the invitation due to other commitments. Venus' best results in the desert were the semifinals she reached in 1998 and 2001.

Current world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka, curiously, has yet to reach the Indian Wells title. In 2023, Sabalenka starred in the deciding match, but eventually lost to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina. After a devastating 2024, the two-time Australian champion, whose style of play has proven to flourish on fast courts, could take her name off this list. In 2025 she arrives as the top contender, but to do so she will have to dethrone defending champion Iga Swiatek.

The case of Kuznetsova in somewhat particular, since the former world number 2, champion at the 2004 US Open and at Roland Garros 2009, reached the final of Indian Wells on 3 occasions: 2007. 2008 y 2017. Unfortunately for her, she was defeated with authority in her first two finals (against Hantuchova and Ivanovic). Her best chance was against Vesnina, but she would fall defeated in a dramatic 6-4 match in the third set. Currently, the Russian holds the not at all pleasant record of being the player with the most number of lost finals.

Dementieva was one of those players who shone brightly in the 2000s. Finalist of Roland Garros in 2004 and the US Open in the same year, the Russian was a difficult opponent to beat whose best ranking she reached in 2009 (3). She managed to reach the final of the tournament in 2006, where she met her compatriot Maria Sharapova, who defeated her in straight sets 6-1 and 6-2 to lift the trophy for the first time in the desert.

Former world No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska, known for her "magical" style of play, characterized by the use of dropshots and spectacular angles, failed to reach the top in Indian Wells. Despite remaining in the top 20 for a long time, Radwanska only reached the final of the tournament in 2014. There she would fall to Flavia Pennetta in an unmitigated defeat.