Carlos Alcaraz Reacts to Impressive Novak Djokovic Record Ahead of Indian Wells: “It’s Like Sh*t”
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will face each other if they both reach the semifinals of Indian Wells.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, PandaSportsPicks)
- Carlos Alcaraz is on a 12-match winning streak after victories at the Australian Open and Qatar Open.
- He expressed awareness of Novak Djokovic's record of 41 consecutive match wins, acknowledging its difficulty.
- Alcaraz aims to win the Indian Wells Masters for the third time in his career.
Carlos Alcaraz is on a 12-match winning streak thanks to his wins at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open. The 22-year-old became the youngest Carere Grand Slam champion and the youngest man to win seven Majors after defeating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.
He then clinched his maiden Qatar Open title by breezing past Arthur Fils. His next goal is to win the Indian Wells Masters for the third time. At the pre-tournament press conference, the Spaniard was asked whether he was thinking of matching Djokovic’s record of winning 41 matches in a row at the start of the season.
Yeah, obviously, I know that, 41, Novak holds the record. I’m gonna say you don’t realize how difficult it is until you’re chasing that, because, you know, 41, it’s not that much, but then you’re like on 12, it’s like s**t, it’s like four or five more tournaments, the biggest tournaments in the world. You realize, and you feel like how impressive it is. I’m just really proud about my start of the year. Hopefully the winning streak continues, or I would try that, but I’m just happy to see myself playing great tennis.
Djokovic is also Indian Well’s most successful player, last winning in 2016. Last year, he lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening round, but in the second Sunshine Doubles event, the Miami Open, he reached the final, only to lose to Jakub Mensik.
Alcaraz could schedule his 11th match against the 24-time Grand Slam champion if both reach the semifinals. The win at Melbourne Park helped the Murcia native tie the head-to-head record over Nole to 5-5.
Djokovic made a Grand Slam final for the first time since the 2024 Wimbledon, where Alcaraz denied him his 25th Major. The last time the Serb won a trophy was at the 2025 Hellenic Championship, defeating Lorenzo Musetti.
Tim Henman thinks the Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz final can become unappealing
Novak Djokovic broke the streak of Carlos Alcaraz–Jannik Sinner in Grand Slam finals when he reached the title clash in Melbourne. Last year, apart from the Australian Open, Alcaraz and Sinner faced each other in the final of the rest of the Majors.
Sinner narrowly missed the Roland Garros after an epic match that saw Alcaraz save three championship points. The Italian ace got his revenge at Wimbledon but failed to defend his US Open title. Tim Henman thinks that if no player challenges the duopoly of Sinzaraz and they continue to make Major finals, then the men’s final will become boring.
The way Djokovic played in Australia in that semi-final was phenomenal, and I don’t think anyone saw that coming, but the way he played so aggressively, taking the ball down the line and not missing, was hugely impressive. But ultimately, he couldn’t sustain that. So I think the long answer to your question is I don’t see anyone closing the gap just yet, but I would like to be proved wrong. I love Sinner and Alcaraz, they are great players, great guys, but if they are playing in every Grand Slam final, I’m not sure that’s so appealing.
Tim Henman said during the Off Court with Greg podcast
Sinner will be chasing his first title at Indian Wells, having so far made two semifinals (in 2023 and 2024). He was forced to skip both Sunshine Doubles events last year due to his doping ban. Sinner won the Miami Open in 2024 by defeating Grigor Dimitrov. The four-time Major champion has yet to win a title this year.
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