Alcaraz stormed into the Indian Wells quarter-finals with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Grigor Dimitrov, keeping his title defense alive. A third straight triumph at the tournament would put him in elite company alongside Roger Federer (2004-06) and Novak Djokovic (2014-16).
Although he won’t surpass top-ranked Jannik Sinner or No. 2 Alexander Zverev with an Indian Wells victory, Alcaraz could position himself for a rankings push during the European clay-court season, where he will aim to defend his French Open title. “I’m not thinking much about recovering the number one in two or three months. That could make me feel extra pressure,” Alcaraz, who previously held top spot for 36 weeks, told reporters.
Alcaraz will be among the main contenders at tournaments in the coming weeks with Italian Sinner serving a doping ban until May 4, but the Spaniard said he will take things day by day. “If I’m doing the right things, if I’m focused on every day and the things I have to improve, the result is going to be there and then the number one is going to come after,” he added.
“Right now, I’m focused on this tournament, Indian Wells, and I want to still play good tennis. Hopefully make the final or lift the trophy. That’s my goal here.”
Up next for the four-time Grand Slam champion is Argentine Francisco Cerundolo. “He’s playing great. I don’t know which surface is his favourite, clay or hardcourt. He plays well on both. Even grass, too,” Alcaraz said.
“That means he’s a complete player. He can play really good tennis on every surface. I’ll have to be really focused on my tennis. I’ll try to play aggressively with passion. “It’s going to be a difficult one.”
(With Reuters inputs)
First Published: Mar 13, 2025 5:22 PM IST
