“I really wanted to play against him again” – Alcaraz set for rematch against Marozsán

Surprisingly beaten by Fábián Marozsán in Rome last year, Carlos Alcaraz will meet the Hungarian again in the round of 16 at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz and Fabian Marozsan, Rome 2023 – © AI / Reuters : Panoramic

Mathieu Canac

March 11, 2024

BNP Paribas Open •Round of 16 • completed

See draw

F. MarozsanvsC. Alcaraz

“The level he showed was really, really high. He’s going to get into the top 100 very quickly. If he continues like this, it would not surprise me.”

On May 15, 2023, Carlos Alcaraz, who was on a 12-match winning streak with titles in Barcelona and Madrid, lost in his second match on the clay of Rome against a player who was then relatively unknown – a Hungarian named Fábián Marozsán, 23 years old, 135th in the world and a qualifier.

Ten months later, the Spaniard’s predictions proved accurate. The Hungarian broke the top 60 in January, and distinguished himself by beating several of the top 25.

Alcaraz – 1st – Rome 2023
Ruud – 9th – Shanghai 2023
De Minaur – 11th – Shanghai 2023
F. Cerúndolo – 21st – Australian Open 2024
Jarry – 24th – Indian Wells 2024

In Indian Wells, Alcaraz will be reunited with his former conqueror when he takes on Marozsán in the third round in the Californian desert.

“After that loss (to Fábián Marozsán in Rome), I felt really bad,” the world No 2 said in a press conference after his victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday. “After the game, I really wanted to play against him again.”

“He’s playing great tennis,” he added. “He’s beaten some really strong guys in the last few months. I’m really looking forward to facing him again.”

Since losing an epic duel to Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati at the end of August, the 20-year-old prodigy, defending champion at Indian Wells, has not played a final. However, he has reached the semi-finals at the US Open and the quarter-finals at the Australian Open during that period.

“My confidence has dropped a little bit lately,” he said. “I was trying to enjoy every game, every point, but I was struggling with it. I struggled to maintain a high level of intensity, pressure.”

“It was hard to deal with, but I was trying to get over it and to keep having fun on the court, because that’s the most important thing for me,” he added. “As I’ve said many times, I look at people’s comments a lot on my phone.”

“Most of it is positive, but a few are really bad,” he continued. “It’s hard to deal with, but I try to ignore them, be myself and have fun every time I step on the court.”