Carlos Alcaraz, the 21-year-old Spanish tennis sensation, is on a quest to conquer his third straight Indian Wells championship. If successful, he’ll join the ranks of tennis legends such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who have each clinched three consecutive titles in the sun-soaked California desert.
However, Alcaraz has already etched his name in the annals of tennis history. He’s the first player to bag an 18-2 record in his initial 20 matches at Indian Wells since the inception of the Masters 1000 series in 1990. This feat places him in a league above Federer and Rafael Nadal, who held a 17-3 record at the same point in their careers.
Alcaraz’s journey at Indian Wells began in October 2021 when he was just 18 years old. Despite losing in the second round to Andy Murray, after clinching the first set, Alcaraz didn’t let this initial setback deter his ambition. The following years saw him craft an impressive 18-2 run in the desert tournament.
By 2022, Alcaraz had already made his mark at Indian Wells, reaching the semi-finals. He dispatched four adversaries in straight sets and set up a semi-final encounter with fellow Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. Despite a grueling three-hour, 12-minute match, the more seasoned Nadal emerged victorious, marking Alcaraz’s most recent loss in Indian Wells.
However, the young Spaniard bounced back with a vengeance in 2023, lifting his first Indian Wells trophy after taking down Jack Draper, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev. He clinched the victory with a decisive 6-3, 6-2 win over Medvedev in the final.
In the following year, Alcaraz continued his reign of dominance at Indian Wells, securing back-to-back titles with consecutive top-6 wins against Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner, and once again, Daniil Medvedev.
His victory over Medvedev in the final, sealed with a 7-6, 6-1 score, brought his desert tournament record to 16-2. This year, he extended it to an impressive 18-2 with straight-set victories over Quentin Halys and Denis Shapovalov. His winning streak at the tournament now stands at 14.
So far, Alcaraz hasn’t dropped a set in his first two matches of the tournament, making him a strong favorite in his upcoming last-16 clash with Grigor Dimitrov. The world number three is eager to clinch his first Masters 1000 title in a year, having already lifted his fifth Indian Wells trophy before experiencing a slight dip in performance.
