3 times Rafael Nadal won the Indian Wells Masters

Rafael Nadal won the Indian Wells Masters thrice so far throughout his illustrious career.

The Indian Wells Masters has only grown in stature over the years and has now come to be known as the fifth Grand Slam. It is held in the picturesque locale of Indian Wells, California, and is the season's first Masters 1000 event on the ATP Tour.

Following the conclusion of the Australian Open, there's a bit of a lull with no big events scheduled in February. So the anticipation for the tournament is quite high as it heralds the return of all the top players, barring any injuries.

Rafael Nadal has enjoyed considerable success at the venue in the past. He had to cut short his comeback earlier this season after picking up an injury at the Brisbane International.

Nadal is now slated to return to action at the upcoming Indian Wells Masters. To commemorate his comeback, here's a look at his past victories at the tournament:

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#3 - Rafael Nadal secured his maiden Indian Wells Masters title in 2007

Rafael Nadal at the 2007 Indian Wells Masters.

It took Nadal just three attempts to capture his first title in the California desert. He made it to the third round upon his debut in 2004 but had to skip the next edition. The Spaniard made it to the semifinals in 2006 but came up short against home favorite James Blake.

Seeded second at the 2007 edition, Nadal scored wins over Arnaud Clement, Fernando Verdasco, and Juan Carlos Ferrero to reach the quarterfinals. He then defeated Juan Ignacio Chela and Andy Roddick to advance to his first final at the venue.

Awaiting Nadal in the final was no other than Novak Djokovic, in what would be the pair's second career meeting. The former had won their very first duel at the 2006 French Open and came out on top once again to win his maiden title at the Indian Wells Masters.

It was the Spaniard's 18th career title and seventh at the Masters level. He also won the tournament without dropping a single set and achieved the feat for the fifth time back then but for the first time on hardcourts.

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#2 - Rafael Nadal staged an escape act to lift his second trophy at the Indian Wells Masters

Rafael Nadal at the 2009 Indian Wells Masters.

While Nadal captured his first Indian Wells Masters title with relative ease, it wasn't the same the second time around. His title defense came to an end in the semifinals of the 2008 edition, but he arrived for the 2009 tournament in great form.

Nadal had defeated Roger Federer to win his first Australian Open title in a memorable final. As the top seed at the Indian Wells Masters, he knocked out Michael Berrer and Dmitry Tursunov to reach the fourth round.

The Spaniard faced David Nalbandian at that stage and found himself on the backfoot after going down a set. Nadal was on the brink of defeat in the second set but saved a whopping five match points to snatch the set. He steamrolled his opponent in the decider for a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0 win.

It was smooth sailing for Nadal after that. He bested Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals and then edged past Andy Roddick to book his place in the title round for a second time. He made light work of Andy Murray in the final as he thumped the Brit 6-1, 6-2 to lay his hands on the winner's trophy.

This marked the second occasion that Nadal had won a tournament after saving match points. He had previously done the same in the final of the 2006 Italian Open to defeat Federer.

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#3 - Rafael Nadal's most recent triumph at the Indian Wells Masters came in 2013

Rafael Nadal at the 2013 Indian Wells Masters.

After winning the 2009 edition, Nadal made it to the semifinals in 2010 and 2012, along with a runner-up finish in 2011. He was bogged down by injuries and had to cut short his 2012 season following a second-round exit from Wimbledon.

The Spaniard delayed his return to the tour in 2013 and skipped the Australian Open too. He made his comeback at the Chile Open and made it to the final, where he was upset by Horacio Zeballos.

Nadal then won his next two tournaments and arrived at the Indian Wells Masters on a nine-match winning streak. Wins over Ryan Harrison and Ernests Gulbis put him into the quarterfinals, where he got the better of Federer yet again.

Nadal moved past Tomas Berdych after that to set up a showdown against del Potro for the title. The Spaniard rallied from a set down to defeat his younger rival 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and claimed his third title here. It was also his 22nd Masters title and his 53rd career title.

Nadal came quite close to winning his fourth title at Indian Wells in 2022. He was on a 20-match winning streak and faced Taylor Fritz in the final but lost to him 6-4, 7-6 (5).

With a 59-11 record at the Indian Wells Masters, it is Nadal's sixth-best tournament with respect to match wins. He has registered more victories at the French Open (112), the Australian Open (77), the Monte-Carlo Masters (73), the Italian Open (69), and the US Open (67).

So despite just three titles to his name, the tournament ranks among one of Nadal's best.