Alcaraz pulls no punches in Indian Wells: 'I'm here to defend the title'

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Tennis Paradise lived up to its name last year for Carlos Alcaraz as the Spanish star dominated the 2023 BNP Paribas Open field to win his maiden Indian Wells title without losing a set. The good vibes welcomed him back again this season as he seeks to pick up where he left off.

"It's great to be back. I'm really happy to be able to play here again, a place that I love to play," he said Wednesday in his pre-tournament press conference. "I love being here. I get so much peace here, so it's great."

He enters the ATP Masters 1000 this season with question marks around his recent form and his health, having suffered an ankle injury in his most recent tour-level appearance two weeks ago in Rio de Janeiro. Despite the uncertainty, Alcaraz maintains a singular focus.

"I'm coming here to defend the title," he declared. "It’s difficult… There are the best tennis players in the world, some of them are playing great tennis this year. I know it’s going to be really difficult, but I'm here to do it. I'm here to try to defend the title. I've been feeling well in practice. 

"Probably some people are thinking about my ankle. Let's see if I'm going to stay 100 per cent or not, but I'm feeling better as well. So let's see how the tournament is going to go. But I'm here to defend and I’m not I'm not thinking about anything else but that."

Experiencia 🔝 ayer en el Gran Cañón! 🚁 @IFlyPapillon pic.twitter.com/cGggSAWx32

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) March 6, 2024

Alcaraz enters Indian Wells with a 6-3 record on the young season, including a quarter-final run at the Australian Open and a semi-final showing in Buenos Aires. But he comes into the desert without a win in his past two matches, having lost to Nicolas Jarry in Argentina before retiring early in his Rio de Janeiro opener against Thiago Monteiro.

After such a string of success early on in his pro career, this could be considered a difficult moment for the Spaniard. He certainly does not see it that way. While he is aware of the noise and the expectations surrounding his stardom, he prefers to stay away from the hype by enjoying the company of his team — with whom he recently took a trip to the Grand Canyon.

"Most of the time, I stay focused on myself with my team," he said. "I try to smile all the time, making jokes outside the the court. That makes me stay myself."

While Alcaraz created a Grand Canyon-sized gap between himself and the competition last year in Indian Wells, it will be a tall task to improve upon that near-flawless title run. But that won't stop him from trying when he opens his campaign Friday against Italy's Matteo Arnaldi.