Djokovic beats Nadal in Indian Wells, leapfrogs Federer in rankings

Novak Djokovic beat top-ranked Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Sunday.

Djokovic improved his record to 18 wins and no losses this year, including victories at the Australian Open and in Dubai last month.

On Monday, he moved into the No. 2 spot at the ATP Tour rankings, having bumped Roger Federer down to third after he lost to Djokovic in the semifinals. Nadal has remained on top.

“It has been a dream start,” Djokovic said about his 2011 winning streak.“I don’t know how to describe it, really. It keeps on getting better. I’m definitely feeling great on the court and today I beat the best player in the world.”

“It was a very close match and it was what I expected. For the first set-and-a-half he was the better player. Then, I was fortunate to make a break and hold for the second set. From then and that moment on, I felt like I was playing better,” he said.

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