"We said last year that Rybakina would make a run at number one — and Sabalenka knows that" - Andy Roddick reviews the headlines from hectic Indian Wells tournament

Indian Wells provided a whole host of entertainment, drama, and fascinating storylines featuring the biggest players in the world. Former US Open champion Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim discussed the biggest flashpoints of the tournament in California. They touched on the brilliance of Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner enroute to their titles while touching on Novak Djokovic pulling out of the Miami Open.

A first title at Indian Wells was scooped up by Sabalenka in dominant fashion. It goes against a recent trend of her losing big finals. Roddick started on this. "A lot of the narrative around Aryna Sabalenka is that she’s going to be an all-time great, a Hall of Famer — the best player in the world over the last two years, undisputed," Roddick stated on Served. "At the same time, people point to losses — Indian Wells last year to Mirra Andreeva, losses to Coco Gauff, Wimbledon to Anna Kalinskaya — and ask, 'Is she not winning the matches she should?'"

However, there is an argument against this. "But when you’re the favourite in every single match you play, that’s because you’ve been really, really good — and really clutch — along the way. So to say she lets matches slip, while ignoring this tiebreak record, doesn’t really add up."

Her tiebreak record, especially, is absolutely astonishing, as Roddick pointed out. "Last year she went 22–3 in tiebreaks. She lost a couple at the end of the year, but now she’s back on another streak — five in a row. And her Grand Slam tiebreak record is still at something ridiculous — like 18 or 19 in a row. It’s silly. We’re almost taking these numbers for granted."

He touched on the fact that it was more special because it was regularly being done against the best players in the world. "Sabalenka’s tiebreaks are almost always high-pressure situations — late rounds, finals, deciding sets," he said. "Even getting to a tiebreak against her is different. These aren’t random second-round breakers — these are massive moments. That’s why I think this streak deserves even more credit."

The potential for a glorious rivalry between Sabalenka and Rybakina was teased at the WTA Finals when the Kazakh produced an insane level of tennis to take the world number one down. She repeated the fate in the Australian Open before Sabalenka got one over her at Indian Wells.

"These are the two best players right now, by some distance. Both play power tennis and dictate with their shots," Wertheim confidently stated. "The differences are more in temperament and subtle variations in their games. And if you look at their recent matches — the scorelines over the last few months — you couldn’t ask for more as a tennis fan."

Roddick believes Rybakina will soon be challenging for the world number one spot. "We said last year that Rybakina would make a run at number one — and Sabalenka knows that. That’s what makes this rivalry great. It’s going to ebb and flow."

He mentioned Iga Swiatek as someone who could break through into that category, but for now the top two are untouchable. "People might write off Iga Świątek at times — like they did last year before she won Wimbledon — but she’ll still be a favourite at Roland Garros. Others will come into the mix, but over the last six months it’s hard to argue that Sabalenka and Rybakina haven’t been the dominant forces."

Roddick reiterated the point that Jannik Sinner has not gone anywhere after winning the Indian Wells title. "There’s nothing wrong with Jannik Sinner," he commented. "We said it last week, we’ll say it this week — he comes back. People were talking about him losing a couple of tournaments in a row. Now he’s won one. It’s March — March 13th. The sample size is tiny."

Wertheim was in full praise of the four-time Grand Slam champion, who has now won all the hardcourt major events on offer, becoming the youngest tennis player to achieve this feat with success at Indian Wells.

"This was about as good a tournament as he could have hoped for. He hadn’t won this event before. He beat a mix of younger players and veterans. He won matches comfortably, won tight matches in tiebreaks, and gutted out the final without losing a set. Not that he needs to make statements at this point in his career, but that’s a really solid win. He’s got to be thrilled heading into Miami, where he’s essentially a defending champion — he didn’t play last year, but won it the year before."

One of the things that Sinner improved in is his ability to adapt in any scenario. Known for his hardcourt ability, the Italian has shown his worth on all surfaces over the past couple of years. "A year and a half ago, you’d say: 'Give him a fast hard court, and he’s the guy.' But now, look at his body of work," he explained.

"He was one point away from winning the French Open — a surface where he hadn’t even won a Masters 1000 before. He won Wimbledon, where there were questions about whether grass suited him. He’s won the ATP Finals on a low-bouncing indoor court. And then you look at Indian Wells — completely different conditions. The ball bounces higher, it doesn’t suit flat hitters as much. If you were trying to find a place where you might make Sinner uncomfortable, this might be one of them — because the ball can get outside his strike zone. But even that “strike zone” is huge."

Despite the conditions at Indian Wells maybe not being optimal for his game, Sinner still delivered the goods in a statement win. "If we’re calling someone a complete player, we have to look at how they win in different conditions," Roddick noted. "Indian Wells isn’t naturally suited to his game — it’s slower, the bounce is higher. So for him to win here, especially after people were talking about his “bad start” to the year, just reinforces that he can problem-solve anywhere."

It has been a turbulent period for Daniil Medvedev. Since winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Russian was trapped in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict. He eventually found a way out to travel to California before producing a btillisnt tournament display to reach the final, knocking out world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the process.

"It’s been a wild ride," Wertheim admitted. "There were serious travel complications — he wasn’t even sure he’d make it to Indian Wells." He referenced a reason why Medvedev may have played at the level he did. "So maybe there’s a bit of a “house money” effect — he gets there, plays freely, and suddenly he’s deep in the draw."

With the injury issue also looking a lot better, he is capitalising on this as the former world number one looks to climb back up the rankings. "Also, last year he was dealing with a groin injury that affected his serve and overall game. Sometimes we overlook those physical issues when judging results. Now that he’s healthier, we’re seeing him return to form."

His win against Alcaraz, specifically, caught the eye of many, taking down the seven-time Grand Slam champion to hand him a first defeat in 2026. "That’s as good a win as he’s had in years. But at the same time, it’s not shocking — this is a former world number one and Grand Slam champion. People forget how good he is. He’s a top-tier player."

Both Jack Draper and Arthur Fils were hampered hugely by injury in 2025. Their progress was halted, and they were succumbed to the sidelines. However, since their return, both players have shown their worth once more with a taste for the future on court.

"For Arthur Fils — making a final in the Middle East, even if he lost to Carlos Alcaraz, that’s a big deal," Roddick said. "Winning matches consistently, getting a big win over Félix Auger-Aliassime here — if you’d offered that to his team in January, they’d take it immediately. He’s got the tools — the ball speed, the production — to be a top-five player. And that could happen sooner rather than later."

Moving onto the 2025 champion Draper, who picked up a huge won over Djokovic in the last-16 before losing out to Medvedev in the quarterfinals. "For Jack Draper, it’s a different challenge. When you’re defending points while coming back from injury, that’s tough mentally," Roddick acknowledged.

"But he did an unbelievable job separating process from results — making the quarterfinals, beating Novak Djokovic in a high-pressure match. That’s huge. Both of them can be disruptors. They don’t have to be better than Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner all the time — but they can absolutely stress them."

On the topic of injuries, Djokovic has pulled out of the Miami Open amid a shoulder issue. This news did not surprise either Roddick or Wertheim one bit. "Not at all. If you’re Novak Djokovic, you’ve won 24 majors, and you’re pacing your schedule — you lose in the round of 16, and you’ve got two weeks before your next event," Roddick stated.

Wertheim was in agreement. "What do people expect? He has a family on the other side of the world. He’s not going to hang around for two weeks just to train." The reigning finalist is set for a drop in the rankings with him not being able to defend the points from last year's final.