John Isner after his huge win over Djokovic in the Indian Wells semifinals
Federer beats Nadal on an outdoor hardcourt for the first time since 2005!?!
Winning this final will mean a lot to Federer because a) he sort of needs a big win right now, b) it will mean he has 19 Masters titles which will tie him for the most ever with Nadal, c) it's embarrassing to lose to Isner twice in a short period of time so it's a must-win situation, and d) Gavin Rossdale and Anna Wintour will be seriously depressed if he can't pull this win off.
As for Isner, winning will mean a lot to him because a) he's never won a Masters title before, b) it will move him up to 8th in the ATP rankings, and c) he can brag to his friends that he beat the greatest player of all time AND the number one player in the world in the same tournament. Oh and d) maybe Caroline Wozniacki will finally agree to go out with him (remember those amazingly flirty twitter conversations those two used to have? Isner and Wozniacki's Twitter Flirtation).
I'm going to go with Federer winning in three sets. I think Isner will win one set in a tiebreak (possibly the first set), but that he'll be nervous about winning his first big title and won't be able to take two sets off Fed. But who knows, I clearly did not think Isner could take out Djokovic, so anything is possible. Looking forward to an exciting match!