Indian Wells win has Alcaraz smiling again after ‘difficult months’

Carlos Alcaraz said his successful Indian Wells title defence was all the sweeter because he felt he had found himself in the California desert after a difficult few months.

The Spaniard, still only 20, had not won a title since clinching his second Major crown at the 2023 Wimbledon until he beat Daniil Medvedev 7-6(5) 6-1 on Sunday in a rematch of last year’s final.

Alcaraz said the title drought had not bothered him but, struggling with injury, he felt he had lost his way a bit and was not enjoying being on court.

“It’s difficult to put it into words, because I had really difficult months,” he told reporters.

“Let’s say the last two months it was 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.

“It means a lot to me, lifting this trophy because I overcome a lot of problems in my head, a lot of problems physically. It was so special for that.

“That’s why I’m really happy to lift this trophy, because I found myself at this tournament, and I felt really good.”

Alcaraz started the year with a quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open before being knocked out in the semifinals in Buenos Aires and retiring from his first match in Rio de Janeiro with an ankle injury.

“I was struggling to enjoy being on the court,” he added. “My family, my team, people close to me were telling me that I was not smiling as much as I was doing before.”

Enjoying his tennis was important to Alcaraz, he said, and nothing was more likely to bring out his trademark grin than winning a point with the sort of “special shot” he produced to get past Jannik Sinner in the semis and Medvedev on Sunday.

“I always say that I’m playing better with a smile on my face,” he said.

Problem-solving lesson

“And points like this one, [it] doesn’t matter if I win it or lose it, it puts a smile on my face anyway.”

The world No 2 said he would take a valuable lesson in problem-solving away from Indian Wells with the trophy and a cheque for $1.1m.

“It doesn’t matter what problems you have. If you believe in yourself, you have a good team around you, [and] you work hard, everything can turn around,” he said.

Iga Swiatek beat Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-0 in the women’s final to claim the title for a second time.

In a rematch of the 2022 final, world No 1 Swiatek came out firing, building a 3-0 lead before Sakkari worked her way back into the set for 4-4. But on her third set point, the Pole dragged Sakkari from one side of the court to the other before capturing the opener with a forehand winner.

Swiatek, who did not drop a set all tournament, dominated the second, crushing a running backhand for a 3-0 lead and then breaking serve for 4-0 as the outmatched Greek began to fade.

A backhand winner down the line put Swiatek a game away and the top seed sealed the win by breaking serve to love when Sakkari’s forehand sailed wide on match point.

Reuters