Famous tennis broadcaster chooses between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz as the favorite for Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz is looking to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the players to do a three-peat at Indian Wells.

Famous tennis broadcaster chooses between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz as the favorite for Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via ATP/X)

Marcus Buckland has chosen Carlos Alcaraz over Novak Djokovic as the favorite for the first Masters 1000 event of the season at Indian Wells. The Spaniard is the two-time defending champion at the event, having beaten Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 and 2024 finals.

Buckland believes that there are consistency problems in Alcaraz’s game, but he also thinks the Spaniard can raise his level in critical situations. Because of this, he has picked Alcaraz to complete a three-peat at Indian Wells.

YouTube video

Alcaraz is the defending champion, he’s going for the three-peat. Only Federer and Djokovic have managed that in the history of this tournament, so it’s not going to be easy. He doesn’t quite have that aura at the moment that he built up at the start of his career, as he has been a little more inconsistent of late, but I would have him as my favourite.

Marcus Buckland said in an interview to Tennis365

Alcaraz is aiming to join the likes of Djokovic and Roger Federer by winning three consecutive titles at Indian Wells. Djokovic won three titles in a row between 2014 and 2016, a decade after Federer did it between 2004 and 2006.

FS Video

Surprisingly, Indian Wells was the only Masters 1000 event that Alcaraz won in 2024. His season highlights were winning his first Roland Garros title shortly before defending his Wimbledon title against Djokovic. The Serb will be hoping to stop him in the next two weeks as he returns to the American courts with Andy Murray by his side.

Novak Djokovic seeks history at Indian Wells

The 2025 ATP Masters 1000 season starts with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, which runs from March 5 to 16. Many of the ATP Tour’s top players are set to compete, making it an exciting start.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via ATP/X)

Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz are the main attractions. Alcaraz is the two-time defending champion, while Zverev is the top seed. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic is aiming for his sixth title at Indian Wells, which would set a new record.

Djokovic last won this tournament in 2016. After retiring due to injury in the Australian Open semi-finals, he lost to Matteo Berrettini in Doha. The 37-year-old is hoping for a strong comeback in Indian Wells, where he has a solid 51-10 record.

Zverev’s recent form has been mixed. He won four out of seven matches in February, playing in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Acapulco. The German has reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells twice, including in 2024 when he lost to Alcaraz in a match that was interrupted by a swarm of bees.