Emotional Carlos Alcaraz hugs his father after Indian Wells triumph post long poor run

Alcaraz records a monumental victory over Daniil Medvedev to win first title of the season.

Emotional Carlos Alcaraz hugs his father after Indian Wells triumph post long poor run

Carlos Alcaraz (Via Imago)

On Sunday, all eyes were on the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to win the Indian Wells after a poor run since the 2023 Wimbledon Final. It took some time, but the Spaniard has now emphatically announced his comeback to the top. 

Closing out round one of the Sunshine Double, Alcaraz beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to secure his first title of the year. After a shaky start to the match, Alcaraz found his way back by winning continuous games that took the first set to a tie-break. Just like that, he was soaring high with a first-set lead, and an early break into the next. 

He finally served out for the title, beating Medvedev 7-5 (5), 6-1. The whole stadium erupted in support of Alcaraz, who took in the winning moment. Soon, the 20-year-old ran up to his player box and hugged his father, who was in attendance at his son’s game. 

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This win marks a tremendous moment for Alcaraz as he was finally among the wins, and got himself back on the top. It was a much tighter scoreline than last year, but still a monumental victory for the youngster, who extended his win streak at Indian Wells. 

Carlos Alcaraz became the first man to successfully defend the Indian Wells title in eight years

The 2024 edition of the Indian Wells came to an end, as Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his title. Overcoming a slow start, he beat Medvedev to secure his first title win since Wimbledon. 

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Via Imago)

With this win, Alcaraz achieved some amazing records. He not only won his first title for the year, but also became the first person in eight years to win back-to-back titles at the tennis paradise. The last man to do so was Novak Djokovic, who had a hat-trick of wins in 2014, 2015, and 2016 successively. 

Moreover, Alcaraz also surpassed Djokovic to become the second youngest man in history to win five ATP Master titles before turning 21. He is now behind his idol Rafael Nadal, who stands tall with 9 titles.

This concluded an amazing run for the Spaniard, who will return to action at the Miami Open in a matter of few days. Alcaraz will eye his second title of the year at the next phase of the Sunshine Double, as the tour will play its last tournament on the hard courts before entering the clay. 

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