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Carlos Alcaraz ended his title drought, by defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(5), 6-1 in the all-important final, to defend his Indian Wells Masters title on Sunday, March 17.
Before Sunday, Alcaraz was trophyless for eight months as he had not won anything since the Wimbledon Championships in July 2023 and the new season had not been kind to any degree.
He began the 2024 season with a quarterfinal finish at the Australian Open and later suffered a shock loss to Nicolas Jarry in the semifinal at Buenos Aires, as the defending champion. He then traveled to Brazil for the Rio Open only to injure his ankle and retire in the opening match.
Alcaraz nearly lost his World No. 2 position to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals at Indian Wells on Saturday. Despite losing the opening set, he defeated Sinner 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, securing his ranking and eventually kissing the trophy.
After the triumph, the Spaniard admitted to feeling distressed since the turn of the year.
"It's difficult to put it into words because I had really difficult months. Let's say the last two months it was difficult for me to find myself, I didn't enjoy, stepping on the court. I wasn't myself on the court the last two months, three months," Carlos Alcaraz said during his post-match press conference.
The victory has understandably helped the two-time Grand Slam champion overcome several mental and physical complexes as he added:
"It means a lot to me, lifting this trophy, winning this tournament, because I overcome a lot of problems in my head, a lot of problems physically. It was so special for that, not that I didn't win a tournament since Wimbledon, for me, it doesn't matter, it's about the feelings."
Carlos Alcaraz: "I found myself at Indian Wells"
During the same press conference at the Indian Wells Masters 2024, Carlos Alcaraz claimed that winning mattered less than cherishing the game in its entirety.
"For me, if I win tournaments or not, I don't care. It's about enjoying playing tennis, once I step on the court, putting my game. It's what only matters," the World No. 2 said.
He continued:
"That's why I'm really, really happy to lift this trophy, because I found myself at this tournament [Indian Wells], and I felt really, really good.
Apart from Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz registered convincing victories over Alexander Zverev, Fabian Marozsan, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Matteo Arnaldi without dropping a set the Tennis Paradise.
