"I consider myself a player who adapts well": Carlos Alcaraz remains confident for Indian Wells title defence despite finding courts 'faster'

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz remains confident about adopting to the courts at the Indian Wells despite finding them ‘faster’. The 21-year-old is already regarded as one of the best player currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category along with the likes of Italy’s Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz, who is defending his title for the second year in a row at the Indian Wells, has been recently quoted in a report where he admitted that he found the court ‘faster’ but remains optimistic that he has what it takes to adjust to different conditions.

"The court is a little faster, yes, it's something I didn't understand when I saw it,” he said. “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. I will have to train to see it, although I consider myself a player who adapts well to the conditions in which I am playing. I think I play tennis very well, even if the courts are a little faster, but I admit that I didn't understand it when I read it."

Alcaraz is coming into the competition on the back of an uneven form. His outing in the first Grand Slam of the year — the Australian Open — was a disappointing one as he lost in the quarterfinal to the former world number one Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. The most disappointing aspect of that result was the fact that Alcaraz won the first set, and Djokovic was struggling with fitness concerns, which forced him to retire from the semifinal as well. His only impressive outing this year was in an ATP event in Rotterdam, where he lifted the title after beating Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the final with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Most recently, Alcaraz was featured in the Qatar Open, where he was knocked out after losing in the quarterfinal to Jiri Lehecka with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.