"The establishment really does hate Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz" - Fans react to Indian Wells changing surface just days before it begins

Iga Swiatek's and Carlos Alcaraz's hopes to defend their title at the 2025 Indian Wells Open are being discussed by tennis fans after the tournament announced a shocking surface change. The tournament had been using Plexipave for about 25 years but has decided to go ahead with Laykold starting this year.

Laykold is the surface used at the Miami Open and the US Open, and is a quicker surface than Pelxipave and has a relatively lower bounce. However, this could be disadvantageous for the players who enjoy the benefits of a slower surface.

With the tournament kicking off in a few days, some fans of Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz didn't take too kindly to this sudden change of surface, noting how this could pose a huge disadvantage for both players' title defenses. One fan wrote:

"Guess the establishment really does hate Iga and Carlos."

Another fan opined:

"Seriously? What the hell. We need diversity in hard courts."

Here are some other reactions from tennis fans.

"IJBOL medium fast 💀🤣, it’s not looking good for Iga," a fan quipped.

"There is a conspiracy working against our IW threepeat, spread the word and be aware," a fan wrote.

"Babygoat wake up they're trying to kill you," a fan commented.

"The establishment is against Iga screaming," a fan felt.

While Swiatek decimated her opposition en route to the title, Alcaraz played three Top 10 players to get to the title in 2024.

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A look at Iga Swiatek's and Carlos Alcaraz's run to their 2024 Indian Wells Open title triumphs

Iga Swiatek after winning the 2024 Indian Wells Open - Source: Getty

Iga Swiatek was the top seed at the event and kicked off her campaign by crushing Danielle Collins 6-3, 6-0, following which she claimed another bagel against 26th seed Linda Noskova in her 6-4, 6-0 win.

The Pole continued her rampant display of tennis with a routine win over Yulia Putintseva after which she received a walkover against Caroline Wozniacki, who retired mid-match. She then scored another routine win against 31st seed Marta Kostyuk and then defeated ninth seed Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 in the final to get her hands on the trophy.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, seeded second, came back from a set down toss to survive a Matteo Arnaldi upset and then decimated 31st seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Spaniard ousted Fabian Marozsan and then sixth seed Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal, both in straight sets, to set up a clash with his rival Jannik Sinner.

In a match that did not disappoint, Alcaraz defeated the third seed 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 and then proceeded to clinch a 7-6(5), 6-1 win against fourth seed Daniil Medvedev to successfully defend his title.