Carlos Alcaraz defied the norm by disclosing his inner fears before or after a major match. He defeated Fabian Marozsan in the Indian Wells Open.
In Indian Wells, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz defeated Fabian Marozsan in straight sets to go to the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals.
In an hour and a quarter, the Spaniard defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3 in order to become the first player to defend the championship since Djokovic in 2016.
The 24-year-old Hungarian Marozsan entered the match with a rare winning head-to-head record against Alcaraz, having defeated him in their lone prior meeting on the Rome clay last year—one of the surprising outcomes of the season.
After falling behind 3-2 in the opening set, the Wimbledon winner wasted little time in exacting his retribution, claiming four games in a row.
A single break for 4-2 in the second inning was sufficient to end the match and set up a last-eight matchup with either Alex de Minaur or Alexander Zverev.
“I won’t lie, I was anxious before the match,” Alcaraz admitted.
“I had no chance in the Rome match when I was playing against someone who beat you easily,” the player recalled. Although I had a hard time approaching the match today, I’m rather pleased with how I performed.
“I performed in my style right away, getting off to a decent start. Compared to Rome, I was more aware of what needed to be done today.
“It was time to keep going, keep pushing in the second set after a fantastic first set. attempting to break as quickly as possible to increase the score.
“I was thinking, ‘Don’t let him play his way on the court, and I think I did quite well.
“He has demonstrated his level, of course. He’s a pretty good player, and as the seasons progress, I have no doubt that he will continue to improve.
“I believe that this location is ideal for my type of play. I’m at ease on this court and in this competition. I’m feeling great.
Not just on the court, but also off it. It is, in my opinion, crucial that players feel at ease, at peace, or otherwise in excellent health while they are not on the court. Give up thinking about tennis entirely; instead, shut it off for a little while.
We can engage in these activities off the court. It really, really helps me to relax. Golfing is what it is for me. I can overdo it here and do it extremely well.
I enjoy using these courts for play. I have been playing excellent tennis here for the past three years. Yes, I believe that participating in this event has increased my motivation and confidence.
Alcaraz became the second player under 21 years old to win in an ATP 1000 tournament with this triumph, marking his 50th career win.
Rafael Nadal, a fellow countryman of Alcaraz, astonishingly achieved 81 ATP 1000 victories prior to turning 21. Novak Djokovic came in second with an astounding 48 victories in ATP main draw events.
These figures show what an incredible amount of work Alcaraz is producing at such a young age, and after playing at a consistently high level against Marozsan, he looks to have found his greatest form in Indian Wells.
Alcaraz was playing at a pace that brought back memories of his thrilling victory at Indian Wells a year ago, and throughout the game, his intensity hardly wavered.
The ankle injury he suffered in a tournament in Rio last month did not appear to be bothering him either, as Alcaraz expressed his desire to win back his title and the 1,000 ranking points that were taken off his record at the beginning of the competition.
While Djokovic seems to be losing some of his invincibility at the top of the men’s game, Italy’s Jannik Sinner may be grabbing all the major headlines, but Alcaraz seems prepared to remind the tennis world that there will be other dominant players in the next phase of the game.
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