“I’m here to take that pressure,” said Carlos Alcaraz when asked about the possibility of making a historic three-peat at the Indian Wells tournament this year. The 21-year-old tennis sensation has successfully won the last two editions of the “fifth slam.” And hence, he’s on the cusp of joining the ranks of legends like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who are the only two ATP players to achieve a hat trick at the Indian Wells. With his arch-rival Jannik Sinner sitting on the sidelines this time, can he become champion in the California desert?

Jannik Sinner is currently serving a three-month suspension due to a positive doping test in March 2024 and, therefore, will miss the Indian Wells. So, does Carlos Alcaraz think of this as an advantage? Before the tournament, the Spaniard sat down to talk to the press. When asked about his Italian rival, he said, “The fact that Sinner is not in Indian Wells doesn’t change anything for me: even without Jannik, this tournament has many of the best players in the world. The draw is very open. My approach to the tournament doesn’t change one bit. I’m focused on myself and playing well here.”

Sinner will miss four Masters 1000 events- Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid- before making his return at the Italian Open, just in time to prepare for the French Open. The World number 1 had made it to the semi-finals at the Indian Wells last year when Alcaraz defeated him and also broke his 19-match winning streak.

Although he is not going to feature at the Indian Wells this time around, Sinner is likely to maintain his lead as the top-ranked player, as he has a comfortable 11330 points and will only lose 1600 points because of his absence from the Masers. Alcaraz is trailing behind with 7510 points, and it won’t be easy for him to surpass the reigning Australian Open champion.

Even if Sinner isn’t playing, Alcaraz has a tough to navigate at the Indian Wells. Let’s take a look at his draw!

Carlos Alcaraz could meet Novak Djokovic on his way to Indian Wells victory

Carlos Alcaraz has a first-round bye in the BNP Paribas Open before he competes against the winner of Quentin Halys or Pablo Carreño Busta in R2. He should likely progress to the third round, where he will potentially meet 27th seed Denis Shapovalov. Alcaraz would be the favourite to win that match as well, but his greatest challenge might lie ahead, where the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic awaits him.

When the Indian Wells draw was announced, one of the things that caught everyone’s attention was that there could potentially be an Australian Open quarterfinal rematch between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. The Serb maestro and the Spaniard have created quite a thrilling rivalry. The last time they met at the AO, Djokovic prevailed in four sets.

Now, they are on the same side of the draw again and bar any upsets, are due to meet in the quarterfinals. Ironically, Alcaraz will have to defeat Djokovic to join him in the elite group of three-time Indian Wells winners.

Despite the mounted pressure, it looks like the Spaniard is focused on enjoying his time at the Indian Wells regardless. In his pre-tournament presser, he said, “I will try not to think about it. I will try just to enjoy it. Because of this tournament- every time that I come here, I enjoy so much … practicing, playing. Everything for me here is so easy. So all I’m thinking is to enjoy this tournament. I’m waiting the whole year just to come back here. So I will try not to think about it. Just flow and see how it’s going to be. … But it is something that for me would be great to achieve.”

With history on the line, Alcaraz is determined to embrace the challenge and enjoy the ride. But can he conquer the California desert once again and cement his place among the legends?