Isner Ready to Fill American Void

John Isner celebrates a victory over No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

John Isner was no match for Roger Federer in the finals at the BNP Paribas Open.

But Isner's two weeks in Indian Wells were something special, and for the first time in a long time an America seems poised to challenge tennis' upper echelon.

Isner will become the second U.S. player in the ATP Tour's top 10 rankings, because of his finals appearance, and he became the first American to beat the world No. 1 player since 2008 in an electric three-set victory over Novak Djokovic.

"It was very special when that last ball went by (Djokovic) and I knew I had won the match. I knew it was a very weird feeling, a very nice feeling. It's something that, you know, you don't experience every day," Isner said after the semi-final match.

Roger Defined by Rivalry with Rafa

Roger Federer cracks a smile after downing rival
Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells.

One of the all-time great sports rivalries finally played out in front of the rabid tennis fans in Indian Wells, Calif.

After a rare desert rain delay at the BNP Paribas Open, No. 3 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal took the court for their 28th meeting.

Watching the two display their skill in person is amazing, and it just adds a new level of appreciation for some of the great matches I've watched on television. Federer makes playing the sport look effortless, while Nadal never gives up on a point and can seemingly run any ball down.

"Obviously conditions were tough today, and against one of my greatest rivals, it's always nice if you come out on top. So I'm very, very happy," Federer said after his straight set 6-3, 6-4 victory.

The win in the California desert was just Federer's 10th against Nadal, which is arguably the biggest flaw when talking about where the Swiss stacks up against all-time tennis greats.

However, if clay courts are taken out of the equation, a surface Nadal just owns, Federer now holds a 8-6 advantage in head-to-head meetings and is a winner of two of the last three.

The 10-18 record can obscure the way Federer dominates sets when they play, as previously detailed by WSJ writer Carl Bialik.

Federer has taken seven 6-0 or 6-1 sets against Nadal, with five of those dominant sets by the Swiss coming in the final set of the match. By comparison, just two of Nadal's wins have ended in such lopsided fashion.

Despite Nadal's sizable advantage in head-to-head matches, it is hard to judge which player is greater. Especially given the way Federer worked over Nadal's backhand in the semis.

Add current No. 1 Novak Djokovic into the mix, who has defeated Nadal in seven consecutive finals, and figuring out the big three gets more complicated.

Tennis is experiencing a reniassance with likely three of the games greats all playing at once. I am just glad I got to see Federer-Nadal rivalry in person.

BNP Paribas Open: Djokovic Takes a Look Back Before Semis

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic opened up about his past before taking the court for the semi-finals at the BNP Paribas Open.

"It's hard to say what I felt as a kid," the Serb said. "I just remember I fell in love (with tennis) at the first sight."

Djokovic said it was like destiny he picked up a racquet, because in his family nobody played.

"They were all professional skiers or soccer players or something else, you know," Djokovic said.

Djokovic is trying to win his 11th ATP Masters 1000 tournament and third title in Indian Wells, and said he's still in contact with his old coach Serbian tennis legend Jelena Gencic.

"She has had an incredible effect on my career, and she has learned me all the basics of the tennis," Djokovic said. "I always go back to her and share the success that I had and remembering those moments in the childhood when we were starting to play tennis."

"She was one of the very few people, including my family, that actually believed in me, that believed that I could be the best and I could be, you know, a Grand Slam winner," Djokovic recalled.

Gencic, now in her 70s, is still coaching tennis in Serbia.

Djokovic will face American John Isner in the first of two semi-finals Saturday at 11 a.m. The Serbian holds a 2-0 lifetime advantage over Isner.

Virus Becomes the Talk of the Tournament

The talk of this years BNP Paribas Open has become a two-day stomach bug that's impacting everyone.

It's a nasty virus you would not wish on your own nemesis, but the worst part is it's keeping players off the courts.

A total of 10 players have withdrawn with the bug, while former champion Vera Zvonareva withdrew for another virus.

The latest big name to fall ill, Mike Bryan, of the Bryan brothers, means they still have not captured a doubles title in Indian Wells.

It is near impossible to to track where the virus came from, but World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka said she battled a similar illness between her last tournament in Dubai and the start of Indian Wells.

"I heard like a few players right before the tournament had it, and me, the same thing," Azarenka said. "It's very unfortunate, you know. You don't wish anybody that. I wasn't able to practice for two days."

The Indian Wells bug is just the latest in a rash of ailments that have plagued the start to the 2012 WTA season.

Twelve of the top 20 have retired early from a match or withdrawn from a tournament with some kind of injury or illness.

It's unfortunate the bug is taking away from the tennis and what's been a great tournament so far.

BNP Paribas Open: Wozniacki Poses as a Reporter

The defending BNP Paribas Open women's champion Caroline Wozniacki shared a laugh with American Mardy Fish Saturday, March 10.

No. 4 ranked Wozniacki made quick work of Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-0 before she crashed the press conference being held by Fish.

Fish was about to answer a question about the London Olympics, but instead took a surprise question from the Dane.

Looks like Wozniacki could have another career path to fall back on, but her game on the tennis court is doing most of the talking right now.

BNP Paribas Open: Having Fun Off the Courts

Part of the fun of the BNP Paribas Open is that all the top players in the world come to Indian Wells, and they are way more relaxed here than at any of the other big tennis tournaments.

Case in point what has become an annual ritual on the grassy warm-up area just outside the main stadium, pickup soccer games.

Before the action on the courts heats up, No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal showed off some of their soccer skills.

Playing with Serbian Janko Tipsarevic (ranked No. 10) and another Spaniard Feliciano Lopez (No. 15), Nadal fired a shot into the back of the onion bag.

Now, the real games can begin.

Can the U.S. Regain Tennis Prowess at Indian Wells?

American's Sam Querrey (sitting left) and Mardy Fish (sitting right)

rest during a practice session in Indian Wells.

Over the next two weeks, I have the privilege to help cover the 2012 BNP Paribas Open for Palm Desert Patch.com. I always have enjoyed watching the major tennis tournaments over the years, especially when my namesake, Pete Sampras was dominating. But watching the top players in the world in Indian Wells, Calif. brought my appreciation of the game to a whole new level. I hope to show how special the tournament is here on this blog.

One of the things evident by a quick glance at the ATP World Tour's top 10 is tennis has become a global game.

Eight countries are represented by those players, but there's only one American. Really since the aforementioned Sampras fell from the World No. 1 ranking, the U.S. has been largely irrelevant in men's tennis.

A new generation of U.S. player is hoping to break through the top four players strangle hold in the California desert.

MLB Playoff 'Fix' Will Do More Harm

Major League Baseball appears to be tinkering with something that's not broken in the sport, its postseason.

Word is, the league and its players' association are close to announcing a playoff expansion that would give one-third of all teams a berth in October starting this year.

Under the new playoffs, the fourth and fifth place wild-card teams in each league would meet in what will likely be a one-game playoff with the three division winners sitting out awaiting the winner.

Commissioner Bug Selig has pushed hard for an extra wild-card team to 'fix' the perceived problem that game do not matter September off. In fact two years ago, the New York Yankees purposely lost the division to Tampa so they could get extra rest and draw a more favorable matchup with Minnesota.

The new playoff structure would put the onus on winning a division. Wild-card teams will have to throw everything, just to make sure they keep playing. But giving division winners an added October advantage will come at the expense of the regular season.

More mediocre teams will have a chance to get hot at the right time and make a postseason run.

If the five team playoff structure had been in place over the past five years, that fifth place team would have averaged just 88 regular season wins. What baseball does not need is another slightly above .500 team playing in October.

Baseball's last postseason change came in 1995, when the field doubled from four to eight teams. That's the number baseball should stick with. It rewards good teams for the 162 games the slug it out, and means every so often a good team stays home.

Less is way more, and adding more playoffs teams will just water down one of the most special postseasons.