Mr. Clean Ivan Ljubicic Defeats Andy Roddick to Win Indian Wells

Ivan Ljubicic has defeated Andy Roddick to win Indian Wells. Although this could be considered an upset, he more than earned his victory. After taking out Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadar, he did what many underdogs have been unable to do, consolidate his win.

For Ivan Ljubicic, whose physical appearance likens him to Mr. Clean, his serve proved to be the key against Andy Roddick. Both players were actually serving quite well. In the first set, both were able to dig out of 0-40 to hold serve. After both Ljubicic and Roddick held for 6 all, Ivan dominated the tie-break. He won the first point of the tie-break to achieve a mini-break, then followed it up with an ace to go up 2-0.

Ivan Ljubicic's serve also came through in the second set tie-break, as he was able to deliver a service winner and 2 aces to go up 6-2 for his first match point. Then, he seemed to tighten up when he double-faulted and subsequently stopped play to incorrectly challenge a call.

Still, he was able to hold it together at 6-5, delivering a bombshell serve to clinch the title.

Although Andy Roddick is one of my all-time favorites, it was quite touching to see Ivan Ljubicic, 31, finally win his first Masters title. Going into the match, Ljubicic told Tennis Magazine how much a Masters title would mean to him. "It would mean the world to me," he said. "When I see my name on the court, to have that little shield [the Masters-winner shield] next to my name, it would be nice."

Tennis Magazine's Steve Tignor observes how refreshing it is to see a player who is not primarily motivated by money. "When we hear a guy like Ljubicic recount his career achievements-none of them monetary-with so much pride, we can believe in it."

Andy Roddick was gracious in his runner-up speech. He talked about how there was a rumor in the locker room that Ivan was contemplating retirement. Roddick joked that while he was not glad that Ljubicic was here today (to beat him), he was glad that he was still playing because "we would have lost one heck of a player." From what I saw on my television, Andy looked visibly disappointed but was classy and composed throughout the trophy presentation.

Hopefully Andy Roddick will get it together in time for Wimbledon. After last summer's achingly close final against Federer, nobody deserves another grand slam more than Andy Roddick. In the meantime, it's also refreshing to see Ljubicic in the Indian Summer of his career.

Sources:

The Best Surprise, Tennis Magazine