Carlos Alcaraz claims he feels ‘amazing’ to regain No.1 ranking from Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz has reflected on his ‘amazing’ first Indian Wells title, enabling him to regain the No.1 ranking from Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz ended Daniil Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak by beating him in the final, 6-3 6-2, and leapfrogged Djokovic to return to the top of the rankings.
California Carlos ??@carlosalcaraz does not drop a set en route to winning a maiden Indian Wells title. He snaps Medvedev’s 19-match win streak 6-3, 6-2.#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/0rVX4s9JMP
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 20, 2023
The 19-year-old became the youngest ever ATP No.1 when he won the US Open title last year, and would be the second youngest No.1 in his latest spell ahead of Lleyton Hewitt.
Alcaraz explained how he was feeling after achieving this feat and commented on whether Djokovic’s absence helped him win the title many call the ‘fifth Grand Slam’.
“It means a lot to me,” said the Spaniard. “To recover the No. 1 [ranking] is crazy for me.”
He continued, “Obviously, I’m not going to say that it was easy, but it was easier because Djokovic is not playing. For me, being a No.1 and going to Miami as a No.1 gives me a lot of confidence to play my best out there.”
Alcaraz’s fitness coming into the event was under speculation, after suffering with injury in his Rio Open final defeat leading to him having to pull out of Acapulco.
However, the Murican answered those questions by winning all six of his matches without dropping a set.
“To lift the trophy here, for me, means a lot… I love this tournament. I really enjoy my time here, and of course, I felt the love from the people from day one. For me, it’s amazing to complete these 10 days like this,” said Alcaraz.
“It feels amazing to lift the trophy here. I would say this has been the perfect tournament. It was good for me, [at] this tournament that I really wanted to win, and for me, it’s amazing.”
Although Alcaraz has returned to the No.1 ranking, he will need to retain his Miami Open title to extend his stay above Djokovic.
If Alcaraz is to be victorious in Miami he will be the first man to win the sunshine double since the aforementioned Serb, who achieved the historic feat for a record fourth time in 2016.
Despite the obvious pressure he will face, the 19-year-old appears to be confident going into the event, “Of course, winning a tournament, it gives you a lot of confidence.”
He added, “All I can say is, I’m really happy with my performance, the way that I [was] playing at this tournament. I’m looking forward to playing this level in Miami as well.”
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