Carlos Alcaraz says he never felt the difference in the newly resurfaced Indian Wells court until he was told

Two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Indian Wells.

Carlos Alcaraz says he never felt the difference in the newly resurfaced Indian Wells court until he was told

Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X)

Carlos Alcaraz has continued with his outstanding form in Indian Wells, which has seen him reach the fourth round of the ATP 1000 Masters event. The World No.3 arrived at the California desert amid the news that the court had newly resurfaced. But that has not been a concern for him as he’s yet to drop a set.

The Indian Wells has been a familiar home for Alcaraz, who has won the title twice. The tournament organizers announced ahead of the Indian Wells that there has been a change of the hard-court surface provider from Plexipave to Laykold. Since the start of the competition, players have given different takes about the court.

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Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka have both acknowledged that the ball bounces higher on the court than usual. However, Alcaraz has just been enjoying his time on the court. In fact, in his third-round match, he came flying against Denis Shapovalov, beating the Canadian 6-2, 6-4 in just one hour and 24 minutes.

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During his press conference, Alcaraz was asked if he had felt the same way other players did about the court. He revealed he didn’t notice anything about the change until he was told by his fellow players. He added that practicing often on the court has made him quickly get used to it.

I remember talking about it at the beginning of the week, but now that I have practiced a few times and played a couple of matches. I can say that the court is more or less the same. It’s a very similar court to the previous one, very slow and with a lot of bounce. It is indeed completely different when you play at night or during the day, but this morning, for example, I was training and the ball was bouncing a lot. I haven’t felt any difference, which is good for me. They said they were going to change the court, but if they hadn’t told me, I would think it’s still the same.

Carlos Alcaraz said via Indian Wells Press

Alcaraz is aiming to win the Indian Wells title for the third consecutive time. The World No.3 already has one title to his name this season and will be hoping to add more to it as the season progresses.

Carlos Alcaraz says his new racket has made his shot “difficult for opponents to control”

Before the start of the 2025 season, Carlos Alcaraz made a change to his racket. The Spaniard added five grams of weight to the neck of his new racket using lead tape. He opted for the change as he was aiming to improve the power and consistency of his shot. That move has yielded great dividends.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via ATP/X)

This season he already holds a 13-2 win-loss record and has won an ATP 500 title already. Speaking at an aforementioned press conference, he noted that the new racket has made his shots stronger than the previous times.

I played with a weight that was too low, so I thought about trying a change and seeing how it went. Now I’m managing it, there were moments in the match where I thought that with some shots I was able to do more damage, when I was running or with some specific strokes. I feel good playing with those extra five grams, I feel the ball, although it flies a little stronger here. The feeling is hitting the ball and feeling that it becomes stronger, it’s difficult for the opponent to control. I have started playing this way and I consider it a great change for me.

Carlos Alcaraz said

Alcaraz will face Grigor Dimitrov in the Round of 16 of Indian Wells. The Spaniard holds a slim 3-2 lead in their head-to-head meetings, however, Dimitrov won their last meeting at the 2024 Miami Open.