Carlos Alcaraz says he has found himself once again after defending his title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The 20-year-old beat Daniil Medvedev 7-6(5), 6-1, to claim his first trophy on the Tour since Wimbledon last year. Alcaraz dropped serve only once in the final as he hit 23 winners against 11 unforced errors. He is only the second player from his country to have won five or more Masters 1000 titles after Rafael Nadal.
Known for his infectious smile on the court and upbeat personality, Alcaraz shed light on his struggles on the Tour shortly after his latest triumph.
“If you believe in yourself, you have a really good team around, you work hard, everything can turn around. I think that’s the most important lesson that I take from this tournament.” He said during his press conference.
Coming into the tournament, the Spaniard had enjoyed a modest start to his season with runs to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the semi-finals of the Argentina Open. Then in Rio, he retired from his first match after injuring his ankle. He hadn’t reached a final of any sort since last August.
“The last two months were difficult for me to find myself. I didn’t enjoy stepping on the court. I wasn’t myself on the court the last two months, three months, so it was difficult for me.” He said.
“It means a lot to me winning this tournament because I overcame a lot of problems in my head, a lot of problems physically.”
Alcaraz says his run in Indian Wells has helped him discover himself once again. Besides beating Medvedev, he also scored wins over Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev.
“For me, if I win tournaments or not, I don’t care. It’s about enjoying playing tennis, once I step on the court, putting my game. It’s what only matters. That’s why I’m really happy to lift this trophy because I found myself at this tournament, and I felt good.” He concluded.
It is the third time in Alcaraz’s career that he has managed to defend an ATP title after Madrid and Barcelona. He is the only player under 21 to have defended multiple Masters 1000 titles on different surfaces since the category was introduced in 1990. Furthermore, he is now on a 12-match winning streak in Indian Wells.
Alcaraz will return to action at the Miami Open which will get underway later this week. He will be the top seed in the draw following the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic.
