The Old Man Who Solved Rafael Nadal | Federer Owes Him!

Indian Wells, 2010. In the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open, Rafael Nadal walked out as the heavy favorite against a 31-year-old Croatian who had never won a Masters 1000 title in his entire career. Ivan Ljubičić had already stunned the tennis world that week, beating world number 2 Novak Djokovic in the fourth round and battling back from a set down against Monaco in the quarter-finals to reach his first Masters semi-final in years. But Nadal had beaten Ljubičić in almost every meeting they had ever played. This was supposed to be where the fairy tale ended. Instead, Ljubičić dug deep one more time, came from a set down again, and pulled off one of the most unexpected wins of his career, his second ever victory over Rafael Nadal. He went on to beat Andy Roddick in the final two days later, lifting the only Masters 1000 title of his career at the age of 31. What makes this story even more remarkable? Years later, Ljubičić became Roger Federer's coach and played a key role in helping him finally solve the Nadal puzzle in 2017.