Carlos Alcaraz Garfia is his name, and chasing records is his game! Remember, just a few months ago, the 21-year-old Spaniard became the youngest player since Bjorn Borg to reach the R16 of the seven consecutive Grand Slam tournaments? During that time, Alcaraz said, “ I want to break are the ones Novak is breaking. Those are the records I am aiming for in my career.” He has already broken quite a few records in his career, and guess what? If he manages to clinch the title at Indian Wells this year, then there’s a higher chance of him joining the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in an astonishing feat. Is he aiming to join this elite list at the 2025 Indian Wells?
Well, Carlos Alcaraz is a two-time champion here. He won this title in the previous two editions, and if he wins it this time, then he could become only the third man after Federer and Djokovic to win three consecutive titles at the Indian Wells Garden. Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the 2023 and 2024 Indian Wells Masters. With those consecutive title triumphs, he has already matched the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Michael Chang, and Pete Sampras.
Now, it’ll be interesting to see if he can match the other two legends by clinching his third title in this edition. Roger Federer has won five titles in India Wells, and his three consecutive triumphs came in 2004-2006. He defeated America’s Tim Henman in the final of the 2004 edition by 6-3,6-3, then in 2005 he defeated the two-time former champion, Leyton Hewitt in a three-set thriller and his third one came against James Blake in 2006. Almost a decade later (2014-16), we saw Novak Djokovic matching Federer’s ‘three-peat’ in Indian Wells.
Is it now time for Alcaraz? Well, the Spaniard recently attended the Media Day of the Indian Wells 2025, and during that press conference, he was asked whether he’s aiming to match Roger Federer and Djokovic’s records by clinching his third consecutive Indian Wells title. In reply to that question, Alcaraz said, “I’m ready to deal with that pressure, but I don’t want to think a lot about that. I want to enjoy my time here. Everything here is very easy-going and I’m usually very happy here. And when I’m happy I play better.“
Alcaraz on trying to win Indian Wells for a 3rd consecutive time, something that only Federer and Djokovic did.
“I’m ready to deal with that pressure, but I don’t want to think a lot about that. I want to enjoy my time here. Everything here is very easy going and I’m usually… pic.twitter.com/fICmBYhbdt
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) March 5, 2025
However, he also mentioned that it would be “great” if he really manages to achieve it. Can he do it? Time will tell! He has been handed a first-round bye, and Carlos Alcaraz will be playing his second-round match on Saturday against the Frenchman Quentin Halyrs or a qualifier. Last year, we saw him defeating the likes of Jannik Sinner to book his spot in the finals, but this year, the world number one is absent. Sinner is currently serving a three-month ban due to that doping incident. Will his absence open the doors for someone like Alcaraz?
“Jannik’s not playing, but there are a lot of the best players in the world [who] are playing here. I think the draw is really open, and a lot of players [are] playing great tennis,” said the world number 3. What are the other bigger hurdles lined up in front of Alcaraz at this year’s BNP Paribas Open, though?
Carlos Alcaraz shares his thoughts on the surface change in Indian Wells
Indian Wells changes their surface provider after almost 25 years! They’ve now made a switch from Plexipave to Laykold. Traditionally, at the BNP Paribas Open, we’re used to seeing much slower and higher bounce conditions, but now with the introduction of Laykold, we can probably expect a faster and lower bounce surface. Laykolk is the same one that is used at the US Open and also in Miami. This massive change can really help players like Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev. Both of these players have a record of putting up their best performances on the faster courts.
However, on the other side, players like the two defending champions, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, may struggle a bit to get adjusted to these surfaces. What does Alcaraz have to say about this, though? Well, the Spaniard wasn’t too impressed with this. He said, “The court is a bit faster, yes, it’s something I didn’t understand when I saw it. This tournament has been played on the same surface for 25 years, on the same court, but now it has changed. I don’t know the reason, honestly.“
He further added, “I’ll have to train to see it, although I consider myself a player who adapts well to the conditions he’s playing in. I think I play tennis very well, even if the courts are a bit faster, but I admit I didn’t understand it when I read about it.” Apart from this, there is another big challenge waiting for Carlos Alcaraz if he manages to reach the QF this time.
There is a higher possibility of him facing the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the QF of the 2025 Indian Wells Masters. Djokovic currently leads the H2H record against Alcaraz by 5-3, and his recent win against the Spaniard came in the QF of the 2025 AO. Do you think Alcaraz can put up an impressive show at the Indian Wells Garden this year?
The post Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic’s Indian Wells Record in Danger as Carlos Alcaraz Looks Set to Join the Legends appeared first on EssentiallySports.