Alcaraz’s confidence “so much higher than first round” in Indian Wells
Carlos Alcaraz is returning to his brutal best in Indian Wells, after several months of being down on confidence
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World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz is well on his way to rekindling the kind of confidence that saw him win the Indian Wells title this time last year.
It’s no secret that the Spaniard’s level has been down the past six months, with Alcaraz failing to win a title since Wimbledon in 2023. When the 20-year-old dropped his opening set of the BNP Paribas Open this week, it seemed as though his struggles with form would continue.
That is, until he won his next four sets 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.
Having just seen off Felix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the round of 16, Alcaraz says that things are slowly beginning to shift for him on the confidence front.
Alcaraz happy with level against Auger-Aliassime
“I felt really well on the court,” Alcaraz declared after his win over the Canadian.
“I played at a really high level of tennis, so much higher than the first round. Yeah, hopefully keep climbing, my level.”
The 20-year-old was also candid that the past few months have not been the easiest for him.
“I mean, it was difficult months for me,” he explained. “My confidence go down a little bit. Not after Australia but in the South American swing. After Buenos Aires, I didn’t play good tennis. I have been struggling during the practice every day, you know, try to keep my confidence high or as high as I can. Yeah, trying to be myself every day.”
“After the first round I was struggling a little bit in the first set. I didn’t play my tennis, but I found the good parts to start playing a little bit better. Today was a really good match since the beginning until the last ball. So it was really helpful for my confidence and for my tennis.”
Next up, the defending champion will take on Fabian Marozsan, who famously upset him at the Rome Masters last year.
