Andy Roddick is unsure whether Carlos Alcaraz will be able to defend his Indian Wells trophy due to the way the courts are this year.
The Spaniard has been tremendous at the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year in the past. He made the semi-final in 2022 and went all the way last year. The run he had last year was particularly impressive as nobody really came close to beating him, not even Daniil Medvedev in the final.
He completely crushed him in that match, taking just over an hour. This year will be a bit different, according to former ATP player Andy Roddick, who wrote about the event in his latest Betway column.
The courts are very rough this year, and while the conditions generally play in his favor, the court being as rough and Alcaraz searching for his level right now might contribute to him struggling a little bit.
"It’s a very rough surface at Indian Wells. The court feels like rubbing your hand on a piece of sandpaper. That cuts the ball a little bit more but the air is thin and there’s no humidity, so the ball still travels through the air."
"It’s a mix of a couple of factors that seem to be working against each other. Alcaraz is the defending champion and the surface probably benefits his game the best, but I feel like he is searching for his best level right now."
Searching for his level is a really great way to put it. He hasn't made a final since the Cincinnati Open last year, something Roddick also mentioned in his column.
His tennis hasn't looked that great lately, either, and he's coming here after an ankle injury. There are a lot of things going on, and some others, like Jannik Sinner, are playing incredible tennis right now.
"He hasn’t made a final since Cincinnati in August last year and hasn’t won a tournament since Wimbledon, and rolling his ankle in Rio last month won’t have helped momentum going in."
"I have zero worries about Carlos long-term, but the two favourites in Jannik Sinner – who backed up his win in Australia at the Rotterdam Open – and Novak Djokovic – who is probably the best ever on this type of surface – will have more confidence heading in."
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