Carlos Alcaraz is his name, and chasing records is his game! Remember, just a few months ago, the 21-year-old Spaniard became the youngest player since Bjorn Borg to reach the R16 of the seven consecutive Grand Slam tournaments? During that time, Alcaraz said, “The records I want to break are the ones Novak is breaking. Those are the records I am aiming for in my career.” Well, with his upcoming campaign at the Indian Wells, he might just do that! How?

Well, Carlos Alcaraz is a two-time champion at the BNP Paribas Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the 2023 and 2024 editions. With these consecutive title triumphs, Carlitos has already matched the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Michael Chang, and Pete Sampras. If he wins it this time, then he will become only the third man after Roger Federer and Djokovic, to win three consecutive titles at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. 

“I will try not to think about it,” Alcaraz said of his bid to match the treble feat achieved by Djokovic in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and Federer in 2004, ‘05 and ‘06. “I will try just to enjoy it,” Alcaraz, preparing for the prestigious ATP and WTA Masters 1000 tournament, told reporters on Tuesday

“This tournament, every time that I come here, I enjoy so much practicing, playing. Everything for me here is so easy. So I will try not to think about it, just flow and see how it’s going to be, the tournament. But it is something that for me would be great to achieve.”

As far as the Indian Wells draw goes, Alcaraz has been handed a first-round bye, and will be playing his second-round match on Saturday against the Frenchman Quentin Halyrs or a qualifier. Last year, he defeated the likes of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and others to book his spot in the finals. But this year, the world number one is absent since he is currently serving a three-month ban owing to his doping incident. Will his absence open the doors for someone like Alcaraz?

“Jannik’s not playing, but there are a lot of the best players in the world [who] are playing here. I think the draw is really open, and a lot of players [are] playing great tennis,” said the world number 3. “For me, coming here to approach the tournament, it doesn’t change at all. I’m just focused on my things, on myself, and I try to play good tennis here.”

And while he is focused on his own thing, there is a huge challenge waiting for him in the QFs.

Carlos Alcaraz shares his thoughts on the surface change in Indian Wells

Ahead of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells announced a court surface change, moving from Plexipave to Laykold, the surface used at the Miami Open and US Open, after 25 years. Historically, the BNP Paribas Open featured slow, high-bouncing courts. With the switch to Laykold, expect faster play and lower bounces. 

This massive change can really help players like Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev. Both of these players have a record of putting up their best performances in the faster courts. However, on the other side, players like the two defending champions, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, may struggle a bit to get adjusted to these surfaces. What does Alcaraz have to say about this, though?

Well, the Spaniard wasn’t too impressed with this. He said, “The court is a bit faster, yes, it’s something I didn’t understand when I saw it. This tournament has been played on the same surface for 25 years, on the same court, but now it has changed. I don’t know the reason, honestly.“

He further added, “I’ll have to train to see it, although I consider myself a player who adapts well to the conditions he’s playing in. I think I play tennis very well, even if the courts are a bit faster, but I admit I didn’t understand it when I read about it.” Well, this isn’t the only challenge awaiting Alcaraz!

There is a higher possibility of him facing the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the QF of the 2025 Indian Wells Masters. Djokovic currently leads the H2H record against Alcaraz by 5-3, and his recent win against the Spaniard came in the QF of the 2025 AO. Do you think Alcaraz can put up an impressive show at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden this year?