Carlos Alcaraz Left Puzzled By Court Change At Indian Wells Open
NewsWednesday, 05 March 2025 at 13:20
Carlos Alcaraz has dominated at the Indian Wells Open in the past, but that might change in 2025 after a court change, which surprised him.
No player has played better in Indian Wells than Alcaraz. Of course, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have both won five titles, and they both won three of them in a row. But when it comes to the winning percentage in the Californian desert, they are behind the young Spaniard.
Alcaraz has won 16 out of 18 matches he played in Indian Wells, which translates into an 88.9% winning percentage. That's more than Djokovic's 83.6% and Federer's 83.5%
But the young Spaniard might struggle to be so successful at the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season in the future. The Indian Wells Open organizers changed the court surface, which might impact Alcaraz's chances of winning.
The previous courts suited his style really well, and he will now have to adapt to the change. Some players like Daniil Medvedev and Elena Rybakina have already reviewed the change, saying that the courts don't feel much faster but that the ball certainly bounces lower.
During his press conference, Alcaraz admitted that he didn't yet have a chance to practice on the new courts, so he wasn't able to tell how the change would impact him.
"Well, I got here last night a bit late. I couldn't practice yet, so I'm going to practice this afternoon. I'm excited about hitting here in the desert again. Really happy to be here again. I had time to play some golf already, so I think it has been a good preparation so far."
At the same time, Alcaraz senses that the change might not be beneficial for him. He admitted that he was surprised by the change, as he didn't expect it at all.
"The court is faster, right? I don't know. Honestly, it's a change that I didn't understand when I saw it. It was 25 years the tournament, it was the same court, and then right now has changed. I don't know the reason why [they] did it. I don't know."
Alcaraz also didn't want to sound too negative. Although he knows that the change might not be too positive for him, he said that he considers himself to be someone who can adapt well, which is why he hopes to have no issues.
"I have to practice on it. I think I consider myself a player who adapts his game very well, you know, on the surfaces and all the conditions that you're playing on. I think I play great tennis anyway, even though the courts are a bit faster. But all I can say is I didn't understand when I saw it."
As all the seeded players in Indian Wells, the Spaniard has a first-round bye. In the second round of the tournament, he will play against the winner of the match between Quentin Halys and Pablo Carreno Busta.
Should Alcaraz take on Carreno Busta, it could be a really interesting match. One of his coaches, Samuel Lopez, used to coach Carreno Busta, so that would be a special match for him.
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