Back in 2004, Roger Federer won his first title in Indian Wells.
The Swiss maestro, who had two Grand Slam titles to his name at that point in his career, defeated Fernando Gonzalez, Mardy Fish, and Andre Agassi on his way to the final.
There, he defeated British star Tim Henman, 6-3, 6-3.
The occasion marked Federer’s first title win in Indian Wells. He went on to win four more titles, the last being in 2017.
After the 2004 final, Federer admitted he wasn’t feeling the ‘pressure’ of being the man to beat on the ATP Tour, despite his status as the next big talent.
Why Federer wasn’t feeling ‘pressure’ after beating Tim Henman in the 2004 Indian Wells final
“I mean, I don’t feel any extra pressure because everybody will try to beat me, I will try to beat everybody,” Federer said after beating the British number one.
“I don’t see it like, you know, if I don’t win, like if I would lose here in the finals or if I would lose here in the second round, that then everything has broken down, what I have achieved.
“No, I don’t feel pressure. I’m really just enjoying the moment right now.”
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Earlier in the press conference, Federer made an honest admission.
He said: “I think, like you said, Houston was very important for me because I had problems beating Agassi, [Lleyton] Hewitt, [David] Nalbandian.
“[Andy] Roddick I never knew also. I beat him again after he beat me in Montreal. For me, that was like an unbelievable turning point in my career. I knew how to beat all these guys.
“Same as [Juan Carlos] Ferrero, as well, I had my difficulties with him, as well.
“But now beating all these guys, Hewitt at the Australian Open, and now Tim here finally, I feel like now there’s not many guys left who have really an edge on me. I think this is very important for the rest of the season.”
A year later, Federer won his second Indian Wells title. The Swiss superstar, a member of the heralded ‘big three’, defeated Lleyton Hewitt in the final, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
In 2006, Federer won a third consecutive title in California, defeating James Blake 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 in the championship match.
Federer went on to win two more titles, in 2012 and 2017. The 20-time Grand Slam champion beat Stan Wawrinka in the final.
Federer reached two more Indian Wells finals in 2018 and 2019, but was beaten by Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem, respectively.
Tim Henman’s reaction to the 2004 Indian Wells final
Henman couldn’t help but admit that Federer had been the better man on the day, noting that the Swiss star had cemented his place as the best player in the world.
“You know, he played great,” Henman said. “He certainly proved why he’s the best player in the world right now.
The last 10 Indian Wells Men’s Singles Finals…
| 2016 | Novak Djokovic | Milos Raonic | 6–2, 6–0 |
| 2017 | Roger Federer | Stan Wawrinka | 6–4, 7–5 |
| 2018 | Juan Martín del Potro | Roger Federer | 6–4, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 2019 | Dominic Thiem | Roger Federer | 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| 2020 | Not held (due to COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
| 2021 | Cameron Norrie | Nikoloz Basilashvili | 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| 2022 | Taylor Fritz | Rafael Nadal | 6–3, 7–6 |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 2024 | Carlos Alcaraz | Daniil Medvedev | 7–6, 6–1 |
| 2025 | Jack Draper | Holger Rune | 6–2, 6–2 |
“You know, it’s one of those occasions where I didn’t perhaps play my best, but I certainly wasn’t allowed to. You know, I think the first couple of service games, his service games, were the only ones where I had half a chance. It’s just those types of opportunities that you really have to capitalize on.
“Ended up he just needed one chance on my serve, and he took it. That really — that really sort of dictated the rest of the match.
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When asked for the qualities that were setting Federer apart from his peers, Henman added: “I think it’s his serve, you know, it’s not like a Roddick serve, he’s not standing up there and serving a lot of aces or even unreturnable serves, but his variation is so good. He’s looking for that weak reply.
“With his groundstrokes, sort of the racquet head speed, that spin he puts on the ball. He can play aggressively with a big margin for error.
“My sort of only criticism was that I couldn’t really be a bit more aggressive on his serve. You know, having said that, he was serving at a high percentage and hitting his spots very, very well. Then, yeah, as everyone saw, his forehand was working very well.”
Two years prior to Henman’s clash with Federer, the British star had contested the Indian Wells final against Lleyton Hewitt.
Henman again emerged from the contest on the losing side, with Hewitt winning 6-1, 6-2.
