Rafael Nadal defeated Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win his third Indian Wells ATP Masters title and cement his return from a seven-month injury layoff. The 11-time Grand Slam champion from Spain claimed his first hard court title since 2010 and a record 22nd title in an elite Masters event. He had previously shared the record of 21 with Roger Federer.
Nadal hadn't played a hard court tournament since pulling out of the Miami Masters last March with tendinitis in his left knee - the same sort of knee trouble that would sideline him from his second-round Wimbledon exit in late June until February. He came back last month to post a runner-up finish in Vina del Mar, followed by victories at Sao Paulo and Acapulco. In all his 17-1 win-loss record is his best start to a year.
In the final, Nadal halted the giant-killing run of seventh-ranked Argentinian del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion who defeated world No 1 Novak Djokovic and world No 3 Andy Murray en route to the final. "It is very emotional," Nadal said. "A lot of things happened the last seven months, to be back here and to have this trophy with me is amazing, no?